BD to introduce new Liquid Based Cytology technique to enable accurate cervical cancer screening
Thursday - January 24, 2019 12:08 pm ,
Category : HEALTH
January 23, 2019, Bhopal (WTN): BD Life Sciences-Diagnostic Systems, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, on the occasion of World Cervical Cancer awareness month, today held a cervical cancer awareness campaign and product presentation of ‘BD SurePath’ Direct to Slide (DTS). DTS is a Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) test intended to be used for screening for cervical cancer, pre-cancerous lesions, atypical cells and all other cytologic categories. Offering a complete LBC solution and characterized by FDA standardized sample collection process, through ease of use, 100% of the collected sample is sent to the lab. Utilizing BD’s proprietary cell enrichment technique, BD SurePath™ Direct to Slide significantly improves slide quality, whilst accommodating the requirements of labs with lower volume of testing. BD SurePathTM DTS moreover offers a very valuable advantage of ensuring availability of residual sample for conducting important additional follow up tests without the need for repeat sampling.
Traditionally, conventional PAP smear, a simple and quick test has been the mainstay for cervical cancer screening. However, this method has inherent limitations in terms of quality of the prepared slides and its suboptimal ability to detect cellular changes amidst the remnant blood and mucus that may hide the target cells and also lead to unsatisfactory samples for analysis, hence, the need to move towards a better and efficient LBC technique that addresses these limitations. As innovation and research continues in battling the increasing burden of cervical cancer, newer technologies such as Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) have been established as significantly superior screening methods.
Commenting on cervical cancer prevention by screening women, Dr. Sarman Singh, Director & CEO, AIIMS Bhopal said, “Cervical cancer, which arises from the cervix, is the second most common cancer in women and preventable if detected early. Cervical cancer has a very strong association with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection and the resultant cellular changes as a consequence of persistent infection with high risk types of HPV. Although HPV vaccine which is available to protect against a few ‘High Risk’ types associated with cervical cancer (and not all), while important, it cannot replace the need for periodic screening by PAP smear and HPV testing. Hence it becomes critical that women come forward for proactive screening even prior to symptoms manifesting and go for regular cervical cancer screening tests.Today, LBC PAP smear is one of the most efficient, precise and affordable screening methods which helps in early detection of cervical cancer. It has the ability to detect abnormal cells at the initial stages, thereby, ensuring timely treatment.”
Pavan Mocherla, Managing Director, BD–India & South Asia added, “Early detection of cervical cancer and its malignant precursors is imperative for survival. BD’s cancer diagnostic capabilities focus on improving health outcomes for patients by providing laboratories with solutions that improve quality, enhance laboratory system productivity and inform medical decisions. In India where women’s health is a priority, we are glad that BD SurePathTM Direct to Slide will be able to enhance the standard of patient care, representing the next milestone in cervical cancer screening.”
In India, cervical cancer contributes to approximately 6–29% of all cancers in women and is the one of the leading cause of cancer mortality, accounting for 17% of all cancer deaths among women aged between 30 and 69 years. The importance of proactive and periodic screening stems from the fact that cervical cancer is a preventable and curable condition if detected in the asymptomatic stages. Unfortunately, in India there continues to be a major gap in the awareness levels in women regarding screening especially while still asymptomatic. This further results in delayed diagnosis when the cost of the treatment becomes exorbitant. Hence it is critical to understand the advantages of screening and opt for appropriate testing methods.
