Fluid-Based Pap Test Analyzes Risk Factors.

• Position: Brief Article

A study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas showed that a recently developed fluid-based Pap test offers a relatively simple way for molecular changes in cell samples to be analyzed. This process could lead to the development of biomarkers identifying women at risk for cervical cancer and optimize chemoprevention strategies for these cancers.

"Our study shows that it is possible to conduct multiple molecular analyses of DNA, RNA, and protein levels of bits of cells from the cervical area using the leftover cells from the widely used, simple-to-perform fluid-based ThinPrep Pap test," explains Carolyn Muller, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Over the past few years, physicians have been moving toward use of the ThinPrep Pap test for primary cervical-cancer screening because of its decreased false-negative rate. The UT Southwestern study was designed to capture and identify HPV (human papillomavirus), DNA, RNA, and other suspicious molecular protein materials from genes likely involved in the progression of dysplasia toward cervical cancer.

Muller...