One Test Does It All

Introduction

Pap smear—the test for cervical cancer—can also help detect ovarian and uterine cancers. The cervical fluid collected for the test contains cells shed from ovaries and the lining of the uterus. Therefore, cancer cells from these organs would also be present in the fluid. Gene sequencing can be used to screen this fluid for genetic changes found only in uterine and ovarian tumours. The process can detect uterine cancers with 100 per cent and ovarian cancers with 41 per cent accuracy.

Source

Down To Earth, January 2013