Acetic Acid Visual Test Could Reduce Cervical Cancer Deaths

Boston (DbTechNo) - A simple 2 dollar test could reduce the amount of deaths from cervical cancer by up to 100,000 in developing countries.

This is the finding of British researchers who say that a simple test involving visual inspection with acetic acid could save thousands of lives each year.

Currently cervical cancer is the number 1 cause of cancer related death in women from poorer countries, because of the high cost of screening and treatment.

The actual procedure involves acetate acid solution being placed onto the cervics, at which time doctors are able to spot and treat any cancerous lesions.

“VIA is an effective and affordable tool to screen women for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix in under-resourced countries,” said study leader David McGregor of University
College London.

“Coupled with simple treatment measures, VIA could potentially reduce these cancer deaths by a third, which means nearly 100,000 women saved each year.”

The study can be found in the Obstetrician & Gynecologist journal.