Handheld device developed for cervical cancer screening

A handheld medical device has been developed to check cervical cancer without using a speculum, PTI has reported.

A team of researchers at Duke University in North Carolina developed the ‘pocket colposcope’ which is able to connect to a laptop or mobile. The team say the device could even enable women to self-screen for cervical cancer.

The team, led by Nimmi Ramanujam, asked 15 volunteers to try the new device to get a good cervical cancer reading. Over 80% said they were able to get a good image.

About the device, Ramanujam said: "The mortality rate of cervical cancer should absolutely be zero per cent because we have all the tools to see and treat it. But it isn't. That is in part because women do not receive screening or do not follow up on a positive screening to have colposcopy performed at a referral clinic. We need to bring colposcopy to women so that we can reduce this complicated string of actions into a single touch point."

Current practices for cervical cancer screenings require a speculum, a colposcope and a trained professional to administer the test.

The device was funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is a pocket-sized device with lights and a camera on one end. A space through which the colposcope can be inserted is also available, removing the need for a speculum.

The team has applied for additional funding from the NIH to continue working on the device. Ramanujam states they hope to gain regulatory clearance for the device by the end of 2017.

There are over half a million new cases of cervical cancer every year and it is the fourth most common cancer in women.