NEW DIAGNOSTIC ADJUNCT FOR UTERINE CANCER

Abstract

Physicians are besieged today by an aroused public seeking assurance that they are free of cancer. This fear, though largely instigated by the press, is not without factual basis. It has been estimated that over 21,000 women in the United States die annually of genital cancers,¹of which 17,000 are uterine in origin.²Of all cervical cancers, it is reported,³only 20 per cent reach the gynecologist in an early stage when the chances for cure are best. It is therefore with reason that attention has been directed toward methods for the early detection of genital cancer. For the past several years the Papanicolaou smear has been used in some clinics as a screen for uterine cancer. Unfortunately, false negative results occur, in 30 per cent of the cases according to a prominent gynecologist.⁴Furthermore, it is acknowledged that specialized training in cytology is a prerequisite