A new device that will reduce the time to diagnose the ailment from several weeks to just a couple of minutes has been designed by British scientists.
The new device — APX — looks like a TV remote control with a pen like probe on its end. Researchers believe it will also ease the trauma of smear-testing for thousands of women.
The APX, originally developed at Sheffield University and now being developed by Sheffield technology firm Zilico Ltd, operates by passing a very mild electric current into the cervix and monitoring its movement through the cells.
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The procedure is completely painless.
Electricity passes through different types of cells at varying speeds. Cancerous cells conduct electricity at a faster rate than healthy cervical cells, the Daily Mail reported.
Pre-cancerous cells in a very early stage of turning malignant conduct electricity at a different rate to healthy cells.
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The APX identifies the presence of abnormal cells using a computer program that recognises patterns of electrical flow caused by cancerous and pre-cancerous cells.
Within a couple of minutes, the information is converted into a computerised image that details potential cancerous hot spots.
The device, that has already been tested on more than 500 women as part of a major European clinical trial, could dramatically improve cancer-detection and reduce false alarms.
“This technology has shown some interesting results. However, more research is needed to fine-tune it, followed by an evaluation to see whether its effectiveness in diagnosing cervical cancer is improved by this fine tuning,” said Stephen Duffy, a screening expert at the Cancer Research in UK.
Cervical cancer is a sexually-transmitted disease caused by a bug called the human papillomavirus.
Scientists are working to develop similar devices for early diagnosis of breast and prostate cancers.