Health
Cervical cancer deaths could be reduced with home HPV testing, study finds
A push for more accessible HPV testing is underway.
A new program called SHIP Trial Network, led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is exploring testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) via self-collection to prevent cervical cancer, according to a press release.
The Last Mile Initiative, announced at the White House Cervical Cancer Forum on Jan. 25 by NCI’s director Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, will gather data on a self-collection method for HPV.
OVARIAN CANCER TREATMENT ON FAST TRACK FOR FDA APPROVAL AS CHEMO ALTERNATIVES EMERGE: ‘WE’RE MAKING PROGRESS’
HPV testing can be crucial for preventing cervical cancer, according to Dr. Brian Slomovitz, director of gynecologic oncology and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida.
Slomovitz advocated for this self-collection method in an interview with Fox News Digital.
SHIP Trial Network stands for “Self-collection for HPV testing to Improve cervical cancer Preventions.” Screening, said one doctor, “is of the utmost importance.” (iStock)
More than 50% of individuals in the U.S. who have developed cervical cancer have never been or are infrequently screened, according to Slomovitz and NCI.
“We know that screening is of the utmost importance,” he said.
CERVICAL CANCER DRUG RAISES SURVIVAL RATE BY 30% COMPARED TO CHEMOTHERAPY: ‘GAME-CHANGER’
Nicole B. Saphier, M.D. — associate professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Monmouth, New Jersey, and a Fox News medical contributor — reiterated the importance of routine screening for cervical cancer.
“While it’s not practical to screen for all cancers, cervical cancer is certainly one that benefits from routine screening,” she told Fox News Digital.
Nearly 100% (99.7%) of cervical cancers are caused by an HPV infection, according to Saphier.
Many patients are turned off by the “intrusiveness” of pap smears, said one physician. (iStock)
Since pap smears began screening for HPV by taking a sample of the cervix, Saphier noted that cervical cancer mortality has decreased.
One of the limitations of screenings, according to Slomovitz, is a lack of access to providers due to proximity, financial restrictions or other factors.
“Bottom line, anything that works for early cancer detection is important.”
“One of the advantages of at-home testing is that, in essence, it could eliminate a lot of these barriers,” he said.
“Some women may have a job during the week, and they don’t have the time to go to a doctor’s office, or some people don’t have the money to pay for the visit.”
OHIO NURSE AND MOM BEATS CERVICAL CANCER AS EXPERT SHARES WARNING SIGNS YOU SHOULD NEVER IGNORE
Saphier added that many women avoid regular cervical cancer screenings due to the “intrusiveness of the exam,” similar to colon cancer screenings and colonoscopies.
“As such, colon cancer screening[s] with at-home tests have increased colon cancer screening,” Saphier said.
Nearly 100% (99.7%) of cervical cancers are caused by an HPV infection. (iStock)
“The SHIP trial initiative for patients to screen themselves at home for HPV is important, so it can give patients who otherwise would not be screened an option for at-home screening.”
By offering at-home testing, providers are “recognizing the importance of cervical cancer screening, but we’re doing it in such a way that makes it a lot easier for the patients,” Slomovitz noted.
FDA APPROVES FIRST AT-HOME STERILE INSEMINATION KIT TO HELP WITH INFERTILITY: ‘GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS’
The HPV self-collection, which would come in the form of a vaginal swab, would help identify those women who require an in-office follow-up with a doctor, he said.
Although the swab would have to be sent to a lab for results — requiring an extra step compared to other at-home tests — Slomovitz believes it would still be a popular alternative for patients.
An at-home HPV sample collection would “eliminate a lot of the barriers” that bar patients from being screened at a doctor’s office, an expert said. (iStock)
“The time it takes to go to the doctor’s office and the expense are sometimes prohibitive for the entire population,” he said. “So even with the extra step of mailing it in, this is going to be a lot easier than having to go to the doctor’s office.”
Saphier said her concern about self-collection is that patients “won’t get adequate samples and the test may result in a false negative.”
She added, “Bottom line, anything that works for early cancer detection is important, in my opinion.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“But these at-home tests should be taken with precaution, as they are unlikely to be as sensitive and specific as the gold-standard tests for cancer detection.”
While the test itself isn’t yet ready for “prime time,” Slomovitz pointed out that the SHIP Network is backed by the government and on the road to potential FDA approval.
HPV is “highly preventable” by HPV vaccination and by early detection and treatment of “cervical precancerous changes,” according to NCI. (iStock)
“The best way to treat cancer is to prevent cancer,” he said. “And something like this is definitely a huge step in further prevention.”
NCI reiterated in its press release that HPV is “highly preventable” by HPV vaccination, early detection and treatment of “cervical precancerous changes.”
“These at-home tests should be taken with precaution, as they are unlikely to be as sensitive and specific as the gold-standard tests.”
The NCI has partnered with professional societies to revise and update guidelines for health care workers to integrate self-collection approaches into their clinical practice once the method has been approved, the group wrote.
“In addition, NCI is developing a publicly accessible repository of self-collection instructions and educational materials for clinicians, community health workers and people who may use the testing method in the future,” they added.
For more Health articles, visit foxnews.com/health.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
HIGH SALT INTAKE LINKED TO FASTER MEMORY DECLINE IN ONE GROUP, STUDY FINDS
After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ.
By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.
The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic data for 187 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at age 50 or younger.
PANCREATIC CANCER PATIENT SURVIVAL DOUBLED WITH HIGH DOSE OF COMMON VITAMIN, STUDY FINDS
They found that among non-smokers, there was a link between healthier-than-average diets – rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains – and the chance of lung cancer development.
Young lung cancer patients ate more servings of dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains compared to the average U.S. adult, the researchers found.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests. (iStock)
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association.
“Commercially produced (non-organic) fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to be associated with a higher residue of pesticides than dairy, meat and many processed foods,” according to Nieva. He also noted that agricultural workers exposed to pesticides tend to have higher rates of lung cancer.
HIDDEN VIRUS INSIDE GUT BACTERIA LINKED TO DOUBLED COLORECTAL CANCER RISK, STUDY FINDS
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” Nieva told Fox News Digital.
The disease is becoming more common in non-smokers 50 and younger, especially women – despite the fact that smoking rates have been falling for decades, the researcher noted.
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association. (iStock)
“These patients tend to have eaten much healthier diets before their diagnosis than the average American,” he went on. “We need to support research into understanding why Americans – and women in particular – who no longer smoke very much are still having lung cancer,” he said.
DEATHS FROM ONE TYPE OF CANCER ARE SURGING AMONG YOUNGER ADULTS WITHOUT COLLEGE DEGREES
The study did have some limitations, Nieva acknowledged, primarily that it relied on survey data and was limited by the participants’ memories of their food intake.
“Also, the survey participants were self-selected, and this could have biased the findings,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking.”
The researchers did not test specific foods for pesticides, relying instead on average pesticide levels for certain types of food. Looking ahead, they plan to test patients’ blood and urine samples to directly measure pesticide levels, Nieva said.
Although the study shows only an association and does not prove that pesticides caused lung cancer, Nieva recommends that people wash their produce before eating and choose organic foods whenever possible.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults,” said Nieva. “Our hope is that these insights can guide both public health recommendations and future investigation into lung cancer prevention.”
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but is by no means certain,” a doctor said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said the study is “interesting,” but that it “raises far more questions than it answers.”
“It is a small study (around 150) and observational, so no proof,” the doctor, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but it is by no means certain,” Siegel went on. “How much exposure is needed? How much of it gets into food and in which areas? This requires much further study.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Kayla Nichols, communications director for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, a distributed global network, said the organization agrees with the study’s conclusion that more research should be done on the rise in lung cancer, particularly in individuals eating diets higher in produce and fiber.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There is a bounty of existing research that already links pesticide exposure to increased risk of multiple types of cancers,” Nichols, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. She called for more research on chronic, low-level exposures to pesticides, as well as more effective policies to protect the public from pesticide residues on food.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as industry partners including AstraZeneca and Genentech, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to several pesticide companies and trade groups for comment.
-
World10 minutes agoMoldovan oligarch sentenced to 19 years in prison over $1bn fraud
-
New York2 hours agoTrump’s Immigration Crackdown Pervades Long Island Suburbs
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoChris Simms projects Detroit Lions first-round NFL draft pick
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoSan Francisco sets $3.4B price tag for public takeover of PG&E
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoGame Day Guide: Stars at Wild | Dallas Stars
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMay a steadying presence as Cards hold off Marlins in Miami
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoTyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoMotorcyclist seriously injured in Denver hit-and-run crash – AOL