Papnet for Cervical Cancer Testing

Papnet

A review from the Eclectic Medicine International (EMI) staff at http://www.holisticcancersolutions.com/

"The traditional Pap smear, for early detection of cervical cancer, examines stained cells from the mucous membrane of the cervix for pre-cancerous changes in cells.

Unfortunately, false negatives are common with this test, occurring in about 30% of all cases. According to experts, the error rate may be as high as 50%. A woman may have several false negative Pap tests in a row before falling ill and finding out that she has actually developed cervical cancer. The Pap smear registers between 50,000 and 300,000 cells in a single smear, but those indicating potential cancer may be limited to a dozen or fewer cells. It is no wander that identifying these few cells amidst many thousands is a formidable task that can result in false negatives. The situation with false positive Pap tests is also serious. They have led to unnecessary hysterectomies, costing women their reproductive potential.

A screening procedure developed in the late '80s, called PAPNET Testing successfully identifies cells in 97% of the cases. Using an automated microscope, a full-color camera and a high-speed image-processing computer, the PAPNET system meticulously screens slides for evidence of abnormalities. Once abnormal individual cells or cell clusters from a single Pap smear have been pinpointed, their images are stored in the computer. When the entire Pap smear has been rescreened, the 128 "cell scenes" judged as most significant by the PAPNET computer are selected for visual evaluation by trained technicians."

To date, PAPNET has been applied to 400,000 Pap smears in laboratories in 15 countries. In the US, at least 100 laboratories use the system, charging an average of $40 per rescreening. For further information, call:

Neuromedical Systems, Inc. 2 Executive Blvd., Suffern, NY 10901. Tel: 914-368-3600, Fax: 914-368-3896.