Vinegar Screening Method Reduces Cervical Cancer Deaths in Indian Study

June 4, 2013 — A low-cost cervical cancer screening
method that uses vinegar and visual exams helped reduce the number of
deaths caused by the disease, according to a study released on Sunday at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, Reuters reports (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 6/2).

The screening method, known as visual inspection with acetic acid, uses
sterilized vinegar made by combining acetic acid with water. The vinegar
causes cancerous lesions to turn white one minute after being applied
to the cervix, making them visible to a health care worker.

For the study — which was conducted in Mumbai, India, between 1998 and
2010 — researchers randomly assigned more than 75,000 women ages 35 to
64 to undergo the vinegar screening method every other year, for a total
of four times. Meanwhile, a separate group of more than 76,000 women of
the same ages did not receive the screening, as is typical in India
(Loftus, Wall Street Journal, 6/2). Both groups received cancer education every two years, and none of the women had a history of cancer (Reuters, 6/2).

Study Results

The study found that the mortality rate from cervical cancer was 31%
lower among the screening group than the control group. About the same
number of women in both groups received a cervical cancer diagnosis
during the study, which suggests that the screening did not lead to
over-diagnoses.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the screening helped
reduce the mortality rate by catching cancers earlier and allowing
precancerous lesions to be removed before they became cancerous (Wall Street Journal, 6/2).

The study authors estimated that broad implementation of the screening
program could help prevent 22,000 cervical cancer-related deaths in
India and 72,000 such deaths in the developing world annually (Reuters, 6/2).

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in
India. However, widespread Pap testing is not feasible in the country
because the health care infrastructure could not sufficiently support
it, according to lead study author Surendra Shastri of Tata Memorial
Hospital in Mumbai.

Shastri said cost is also a factor, noting that a Pap test or another
screening method cost about $15 each, while the vinegar method costs
less than $1 per patient (Wall Street Journal, 6/2).

Learn more about self cervical exams by clicking here.