 |
| Image Source/Corbis |
Endometrial cancer is the fourth most
common cancer in women. Approximately
2.8 percent of women will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer at some point
during their lifetime, based on 2011-2013 data. Most cases of endometrial
cancer are diagnosed in women aged 45-74. The number of new cases of
endometrial cancer was 25.4 per 100,000 women per year based on 2009-2013 cases.[1]
There
is no standard screening test to identify endometrial cancer, hence it is often
detected late when the disease has already advanced.
Mayo
clinic expert Jamie N. Bakkum-Gamez, M.D. and her team are in the process of
developing a simple screening test that can be done at home using a tampon. It
is based on the concept of detecting tumor DNA hypermethylation in vaginal pool
DNA picked up by ordinary tampon.
Methylation
is a kind of molecular marker of cancer, and the researchers found it in 9 of
12 genes they analyzed in the cancerous women. Importantly, the tampon findings
were in line with results from “endometrial brushing,” which is an invasive
procedure.
“Unfortunately, there is no equivalent to a
Pap smear or a mammogram for endometrial cancer,” says Jamie Bakkum-Gamez,
M.D., a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. “We
know that the earlier a woman is diagnosed, the better the likelihood is that
she is going to have a positive outcome from cancer treatment.
The team is carrying out larger clinical
trials before the test can be turned into ‘a home-based test.’
In this Mayo Clinic Minute, reporter
Vivien Williams talks to Dr. Bakkum-Gamez about the tampon test for endometrial
cancer.
