A discovery about womb cancer could spare thousands of women from suffering
By reducing the need for additional operations, a new test for womb cancer may relieve thousands of women from suffering and worry.
The test gives women who experience abnormal vaginal bleeding the chance to be quickly ruled out of cancer or to receive an earlier, more accurate diagnosis.
The test is more accurate than current methods at identifying women who require more testing, according to experts. It employs a vaginal swab.
Thousands of women currently have transvaginal ultrasounds, in which high-frequency sound waves can reveal indications of a thicker lining inside the womb, perhaps indicative of womb cancer.
In the event that this is discovered, women proceed to have a hysteroscopy, in which a tiny telescope is inserted into the cervix to take pictures of the womb using light and a camera.
In addition to this potentially unpleasant operation, many women often have additional testing, such as a biopsy.
However, many women are referred for examinations even if they may not truly have cancer since the thickness of the womb lining varies throughout the menstrual cycle, and black women are more likely to have disorders like fibroids that can cause the womb lining to thicken.
According to recent research of 400 women that was published in The Lancet Oncology, the WID-qEC test is more accurate in identifying which women require additional testing.
The study, which was partially supported by the Eve Appeal, the UK’s gynecological cancer research charity, discovered that 91% of the women who were ultimately diagnosed with womb cancer were identified by both the test and ultrasound imaging.