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Vulval cancer is typically recognised by the patient as an area with abnormal skin changes, commonly from the pre-cancerous stages, and often symptomatic (pruritus, pain). By far the most common histological type is squamous cell carcinoma and is divided into two main groups based on its pathological features: Lesions associated with HPV infection. This group…

Endometrial cancer occurs predominantly after menopause. There are different histological types of endometrial cancer with the most common ones having excellent prognosis in their early stages and hence considered curable.   Asymptomatic screening of the general population for endometrial cancer is not recommended. However, the disease gives symptoms very early in its course (abnormal vaginal…

The importance of MDT meetings in managing complex patients internationally recognized and well established. It is an important tool in all successful health systems worldwide and represents multiple benefits: Ensures safety and quality assurance Allows input from experts with different fields of interest in order to suggest the ideal treatment option for the individual patient Promotes…

What are cervical abnormalities caused by? The vast majority of cervical abnormalities are the result of long-term, persistent HPV infection. HPV is a rather common infection. According to literature, at least 80% of women will be infected with one or more subtypes of the virus soon after they commence their sexual life. In most cases,…

The risk for a woman to develop tubo-ovarian cancer in their lifetime is estimated at 1-2%. There are tests, such as tumour markers measured in blood serum and imaging methods (ultrasound, CT and MRI), which are abnormal for women with tubo-ovarian cancer. However, tubo-ovarian cancer does not meet the criteria as described above for the…

Cervical Cancer screening is the most successful and widely used example of asymptomatic screening worldwide. The tests used for it are cervical cytology and more recently (in certain health systems) the detection of human papillomavirus high-risk types (HR HPV test). In countries with organized screening systems such as Great Britain and Scandinavia, women who belong…

Screening refers to testing an asymptomatic cohort, aiming for early diagnosis and treatment of a disease and improved prognosis. There are clear criteria which need to be met for successful screening to be possible: The disease is common enough within the screened population The disease has recognised precancerous stages with well-understood natural history, slow progression…

A recently published study looked at the role of the messenger RNA (mRNA) HPV test in comparison to HPV DNA test and its place in the British Cervical Screening Programme System.   It is known that HPV mRNA is more specific as it is positive for clinically important infections which carry a higher probability of…

People with Lynch Syndrome have genetic predisposition to colonic, endometrial and ovarian cancer. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is a UK government agency which funds research into health and care. For the results to be translated in terms of their place and value in clinical practice, the NIHR publishes study results collections accompanied…

A research team in the UK has shown that, through a simple and low-cost blood test, it is possible to detect cancer as well as precancerous lesions of the endometrium. This method could be widely used for pre-symptomatic screening of high-risk groups:   Womb cancer could be detected early with an inexpensive new blood test