Using cervical fluid obtained during Pap tests, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a method to detect ovarian and endometrial cancers.
No routine screening method is available for ovarian or endometrial cancers.
In a pilot study, the "PapGene" test, which relies on genomic sequencing of cancer-specific mutations, accurately detected all 24 (100 per cent) endometrial cancers and nine of 22 (41 per cent) ovarian cancers.
"Genomic-based tests could help detect ovarian and endometrial cancers early enough to cure more of them," said researcher Yuxuan Wang, who noted that the cost of the test could be similar to current cervical fluid HPV testing, which is less than USD 100.
The Papanicolaou (Pap) test, during which cells collected from the cervix are examined for microscopic signs of cancer, is widely and successfully used to screen for cervical cancers.
"Since the Pap test occasionally contains cells shed from the ovaries or endometrium, cancer cells arising from these organs could be present in the fluid as well," said researcher Luis Diaz.
Also Read
"Our genomic sequencing approach may offer the potential to detect these cancer cells in a scalable and cost-effective way," Diaz said in a statement.
Studying publicly available genome-wide studies, the team identified 12 of the most frequently mutated genes in ovarian and endometrial cancers and developed the PapGene test with this insight in mind.
The investigators of the study, including Indian-origin researcher Nishant Agrawal from Johns Hopkins, then applied PapGene on Pap test samples.
The samples were taken from ovarian and endometrial cancer patients at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the University of S