text_1: Modified Pap tests can show early warning signs of other gynecological cancers
text_2: This story by the LA Times covers a study of PapSeek, which is a new three-prong genetic test for Pap smear, inner-uterus smear, and blood samples. The test aims to detect endometrial and ovarian cancers, which typically aren’t found until they’re advanced, limiting effective treatments options and contributing to the lethality. The story takes care to note the shortfalls of the alternatives, and how an effective early-detection screening could help thousands of women per year in the US alone. However, the story falters in very important ways. There’s no mention that 27% of the study’s authors could benefit financially from the administration and sale of PapSeek tests, doesn’t appear to incorporate independent experts’ perspectives on the study and its significance, and skips over any discussion of costs or potential harms. Pap smears have slashed cervical cancer death rates by more than 60% since their inception in 1955, bringing the death rate to about 4,000 American women per year. But endometrial cancers kill roughly 10,000 women and ovarian cancer nearly 14,000 women per year — and there’s no widely accepted or effective screening method for early detection. This is especially important for ovarian cancer, as the lack of screening options have meant the numbers haven’t nudged much. Even if a screening test is not as sensitive as direct biopsies of cancerous tissues, any test at all for endometrial or ovarian cancers may catch more cases earlier, help patients begin treatment sooner, and see longer remissions and lifespan.