Cervical cancer was at some point the leading killer of
women all around the world. These numbers have dropped dramatically due to
safer health practices and advancing of technology. A new cervical cancer take
home screening test has been made available to poor women in El Salvador. The
test originates in China and is suspected to screen over 30,000 women in just 2
years. Usually, testing for cervical cancer involves going to a physician and
having a pap smear. The smear is then taken to a cytologist and read under a
microscope. This is very beneficial for people who can afford it, but for a lot
of the women in El Salvador, they cannot. In countries such as Thailand,
screening for cervical cancer involves shining a light on the cervix and trying
to identify the papillomavirus in lesions that cause cancer. The lesions would
then be burned away using liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide. In a study posted
in the Lancet, the results of this new take home test came back twice as
sensitive as the test used in Thailand. The test is considered take home
because women can insert the swabs themselves in the comforts of their home and
can avoid the doctors almost completely.
The successful use of this product has potential to save
hundreds of thousands of lives in the future. The process is only beginning in
El Salvador probably for trial and error purposes, but with time can be taken
to other poverty stricken countries for use. The advancement of technology is
growing so immense that it is almost impossible to keep track of. Five to ten
years ago, the idea of a take home test that can identify cancer lesions
doesn’t seem to have existed. Today, women who apart of this lower class and
even worse faced with relative or absolute poverty have a means of providing
adequate health care that will not cost a fortune. As an industrialized nation,
we fail to look at those countries that are still in the developing stages.
Even if they have means of healthcare, there aren’t always licensed or credible
physicians who can provide clean and accurate care to their patients. This take
home method at least ensures that the utensils being provided are, or at least
should be, sterile and free of bacteria or infection. This method is easy. It
isn’t painful from my understanding; and the results are fast. This product can
even be brought to the United States to be useful to those who may be
struggling to obtain adequate health insurance but still need to maintain their
health. If successful, this product could be as common as a take home pregnancy
test.
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