Usha Devi, an Indian woman too poor and ashamed to see a doctor, has given birth to four children and never had a gynecological exam. She had been bleeding for years, relying on faith and prayers in the hopes that it was only temporary.
When Dr. Surendra Shastri of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai spearheaded a new study on cost-effective testing and treatment for cervical cancer in India, Devi was given surgery to remove her cervix and her uterus. For women fortunate enough to not be exhibiting signs of advanced cervical cancer like Devi was, the study introduced an innovative procedure that could save thousands of lives annually, the Associated Press reports.
A simple vinegar test has been found to cut the number of cervical cancer deaths in India, where pap smears and other technology are not readily available, by one-third. The test involves swabbing the cervix with diluted vinegar, causing abnormal cells to temporarily change color thus allowing doctors to detect possible cancer earlier, researchers announced in Chicago Sunday.
"That's amazing. That's remarkable. It's a very exciting result," said Dr. Ted Trimble of the National Cancer Institute in the U.S., the main sponsor of the study.
The test cut the death rate by 31 percent, preventing 22,000 deaths in India and 72,600 worldwide each year, researchers estimated.
The study consisted of 150,000 women recruited since 1998, with 75,360 who had access to the vinegar test -- and were tested once every two years -- and another group of 76,178 who did not have the test but were instead given vouchers for pap smears provided by doctors within the study. The biggest challenge, however, proved to be persuading women to get tested in the first place.
"Many women refused to get screened. Some of them died of cancer later," Devi said. "Now I feel everyone should get tested. I got my life back because of these tests."
Researchers sent social workers to slums inviting women to participate in health talks, but when presented with the option of screening, many flatly refused. For some it was frightening considering they had never been to a doctor. Others were too embarrassed to be examined and disrobe for the procedure.
"There was a sense of shame about taking their clothes off. A lot of them had their babies at home and had never been to a doctor," said one health worker, Urmila Hadkar. "Sometimes just the idea of getting tested for cancer scared them. They would start crying even before being tested."
The study was originally supposed to span the course of 16 years, but with such outstanding results, advisers recommended after 12 years that the vinegar test be afforded to women in the control group.
Many developing countries also cannot supply adequate breast health exams. Researchers are also investigating low-cost alternatives for examining breast health, but have thus far not come up with a solution that would so drastically save lives as the vinegar test for cervical cancer as the project is still in its early phases, said Trimble of the National Cancer Institute.
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