Women in Manitoba are benefiting from technology introduced last fall
for cervical cancer screening. This announcement was made by Health
Minister Sharon Blady.
“This innovative technology provides more accurate results the first
time around, meaning fewer women need to go back for uncomfortable
procedures,” said Minister Blady. “Our investments in this
state-of-the-art health-care technology are leading to faster turnaround
time in the labs, meaning women are getting their results more
quickly.”
Diagnostic Services Manitoba (DSM), the organization responsible for
Manitoba’s public laboratory and rural diagnostic imaging services,
implemented liquid-based cytology technology in October 2014. DSM also
began using liquid-based cytology for some non-gynecological cancer
screenings in April 2015.
Jim Slater, chief executive officer of DSM, said women may not have
noticed the new technology, but it has improved the quality of samples
being sent for microscopic examination.
“Before the introduction of liquid-based cytology, we would have had
to collect a second sample nearly six per cent of the time,” said
Slater. “Now, that number is less than one per cent because the majority
of the samples have been collected using liquid-based cytology. That’s
clearly better for women.”
More than 132,000 cervical cancer tests are processed in Manitoba
every year. The minister noted this means hundreds of women per year may
not need to return to their doctors for retesting because of the
improvements to reduce problem samples.
“This new testing process reduces the number of visits to family
doctors, freeing their time to see other patients,” said Minister Blady.
“It also reduces health-care costs, as fewer samples have to be
retested.”
About 40 per cent of cervical cancer tests are provided by DSM, with
the remainder processed by community lab partners Dynacare and Unicity.
The minister noted that in working collaboratively with the CervixCheck
program at CancerCare Manitoba, DSM undertakes regular quality assurance
reviews to ensure Manitoba women can have confidence in the quality of
their care and the accuracy of their test results.
Regular screening can prevent up to 80 per cent of cervical cancers
by identifying and treating pre-cancerous changes. The success of the
pap test has been well demonstrated in Manitoba by the relatively low
number of women who are diagnosed each year, the minister said.
“It’s significant that 60 per cent of women diagnosed with cervical
cancer have not had a pap test in five years or more,” said Dr. Sri
Navaratnam, president and chief executive officer, CancerCare Manitoba.
“Detecting cancer at an early stage may result in simpler treatment and a
better outcome. That is why I urge women of all ages to get screened
every three years.”
The minister noted that liquid-based cytology builds on the
province’s commitment to shorten the cancer patient journey. The
$40-million IN SIXTY initiative strives to expedite cancer testing and
treatment for patients when cancer is first suspected to help get
patients the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.
source from : http://www.mysteinbach.ca/newsblog/29937.html
New technology means improved cervical cancer care for Manitoba women
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cancer, cancer care, cancer research, cancer treatment, cervical cancer, Manitoba
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