New Imaging Technique for Cervical Cancer

New Imaging Technique for Cervical Cancer

22nd October 2008 abstract

A new imaging technique is being tested to detect cervical cancers earlier than previously possible. This means that more precise surgery could be undertaken to remove tumours, and therefore less radical surgery would be needed, for example the full removal of the uterus and cervix. This development would allow many more cervical cancer patients to retain their fertility.

The journal Radiology outlined the details of this technique called diffusion weighted imaging. The procedure uses a vaginal probe to pinpoint differences in water motion between cancerous and healthy tissues. Cancerous tissues show up as a dark mass on the image.

A pilot study is being run on 59 women aged between 24 and 83, and the results so far have been highly promising. The research found that 88% of cancerous tumours could be detected using the technique, a significant improvement on the 77% detected using traditional external pelvic scans.

Lead researcher Professor Nandita deSouza outlined how the technique could pinpoint both the location and size of tumours. She said: "With conventional scanning techniques, small tumours are harder to identify or to differentiate from scar tissue, particularly if the patient has had a recent biopsy. In these cases, conventional imaging can overestimate the level of cancer within the cervix and result in major surgery leading to infertility. The quality of the information from the images produced using this new method has allowed us to identify and define smaller tumours more accurately. We can use this information to plan less radical surgery, preserving as much of the uterus and the cervix as possible."

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: "This small study is extremely promising and provides a clear rationale for more extensive studies."

Around 2,700 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the UK, making it the second most common cancer in women under 35. Over 1,000 women a year die from the disease in the UK.