Vinegar: Cervical cancer reagent

Only by gauze, vinegar and halogen lamps, lamps often found in laboratories . are sufficient to detect signs of cervical cancer. This simple test technique is being tested by French and Indian experts. Test results show that this simple, quick and inexpensive technique has helped the cancer rate drop by 25%.

To perform this test, the health worker uses the pincer (speculum) to open the cervix, then wet the part with vinegar and gauze. After 1 minute, precancerous lesions in the cervix turn white and are visible to the naked eye through halogen lights.

With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, experts from the International Agency for Cancer Research in France and colleagues in Tamil Nadu, India, developed a 'screening test by visual test screening to detect cervical cancer.

The team used this technique to test 49,311 women in Dindigul district, India from 2000 to 2003. When detecting precancerous lesions, medical staff immediately gave treatment to break the drug. destroying the uterine tissue with abnormal signs.

Cervical cancer in women who have an eye screening test has a 25% lower rate than women who do not use this technique.(Photo: radium.no)

Meanwhile, the control group included 30,958 other women who did not apply this technique. However, they are recommended to monitor for signs of cervical cancer; They are also encouraged to take tests at medical facilities. All of these women were followed from 2000 to 2006.

Comparison between the 2 groups showed that in the group of women diagnosed with eye screening techniques, the rates of cancer and mortality were lower than the control group, with the corresponding rates of 25% and 35% . All women in this study were healthy and aged between 30 and 59 when the study began.

Although not involved in this study, Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, Medical Director of JHPIEGO, an international health organization at Johns Hopkins University, said: "These studies have opened a turning point. new in cervical cancer diagnosis'.

He said: ' This study is a proof that it is possible to reduce the rate of cervical cancer with an extremely simple test .'

Previous studies have also shown that eye screening techniques are nearly as effective as Pap tests (an expensive cervical smear) - an expensive method commonly used in Western countries. .

Cervical cancer ranks second among the most common cancers in women.Every year, about 250,000 women die from this disease, of which 80% belong to developing countries.(Photo: Healthline.com)

According to experts, this simple and inexpensive technique can be widely used in developing countries. Pilot projects are being set up in several countries in Asia and Africa.

However, according to Dr. David Kerr, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Cancer Therapy of Oxford University (UK), this technique is still not perfect. It may produce false positive results, so health care workers need to be fully trained.

At the same time, this method cannot be applied to postmenopausal women or women who have more than 2 children or 3 children. For these women, precancerous lesions will not be noticeable to the naked eye at some sites in the cervix.

Cervical cancer ranks second among the most common cancers in women. Every year, this disease kills 250,000 women worldwide, of which 80% belong to developing countries.

This research has just been published in the medical journal The Lancet, released on August 2, 2007.

Quang Thinh