New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Japanese researchers have developed a more accurate method that comes with high diagnostic power to screen against cervical cancer from mucus samples.
Cervical cancer has approximately 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. But the number of people diagnosed with precursor lesions in the cervix — also known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) — is 20 times higher.
Researchers from Fujita Health University aimed to identify biomarkers that could assist in the early detection of cervical cancer.
Currently, the two most widely used screening procedures for these conditions are human papillomavirus (HPV) tests and cytology examinations. While cytology has rather low sensitivity for detecting CIN, HPV tests are highly sensitive. Yet HPV infections do not always lead to cervical lesions, resulting in poor specificity.
The new study, published in the journal Cancer Science, focussed on a series of compounds that showed abnormal expression in serum and cervical mucus samples in cervical cancer patients.
These findings could potentially revolutionise disease prevention strategies, said the team.
They initially looked to find how changes in local immunity are related to cervical cancer, and “aimed to study all the currently known microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with the development and progression of cervical tumours”, said Professor Takuma Fujii.
The team compared the miRNA and cytokine profiles from serum and mucus samples, collected from patients with cervical cancer or CIN, over approximately eight years.
Initial screening pointed out three candidate miRNAs and five candidate cytokines in serum, and five candidate miRNAs and seven candidate cytokines in mucus.
“While miRNAs and cytokines in serum showed limited diagnostic accuracy, a specific combination of miRNAs and cytokines in mucus samples proved much more promising. This suggests that focusing on changes in local expression levels, rather than serum levels, may offer a superior diagnostic strategy,” said the team.
“Our study, for the first time, demonstrates that analysing mucus samples can distinguish cervical tumours from normal tissues more accurately than serum samples,” Fujii said.
–IANS
rvt/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
