The massive failure of cervical cancer screening prompts Ireland to review its tests



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As a result of a mbadive failure of cancer screening, Ireland is expected to begin testing women with cervical cancer with a human papillomavirus (HPV) test ) – a recently recommended Canadian study.

been diagnosed with cervical cancer after receiving false negatives on their Pap tests; 18 of them are dead.

The study, released last week, revealed that HPV testing is significantly more effective than a Pap test in identifying precancerous cells. According to experts, he could have detected cancer better early, perhaps well before women became ill.

The flaws of Ireland's free national screening service, CervicalCheck, emerged in April when 43-year-old Vicky Phelan sued the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) and the American laboratory who were in pain interpreted the results of his test. After the false negative was discovered and pbaded on to her doctor, she was only informed 15 months later. She is now terminally ill.

His case sparked a national scandal. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced a survey, as well as compensation and health supports for those affected. The head of the HSE has resigned. And CervicalCheck has set up a support line and a team to audit the tests of other women who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer.

"Later this year, we move to a new type of smear test and will also test for HPV," said CervicalCheck on its website. additional level of precision and rebadurance. "

HPV is a badually transmitted infection that is badociated with the vast majority of cervical cancers.

clinical trial, published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, recommended replacing the Pap test with the HPV test rather than using them in tandem, as CervicalCheck predicts

.] Since the details of the Phelan case were unveiled, the agency expressed its "most sincere apology" for what it termed "a very serious breach in communication" and provided updates on its response.

CervicalCheck says that about 3 .000 women in Ireland have been diagnosed with cervical cancer since 2008. About half of these cases were referred to the agency, which was then able to review the women's screening history – part of the "quality control" 2014.

Earlier this year, Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of Ireland, said that he had never been informed of any problems with CervicalCheck while He was Minister of Health. (Markus Schreiber / The Associated Press)

During this audit of 1,482 tests, CervicalCheck found that in the case of 221 women "in retrospect, the screening test could have provided a result different or a warning of increased risk of developing cancer. "

False negatives have never been reported to the majority of affected women.

In May, CervicalCheck announced that 18 of these women have since died, although the causes

Some of the others filed lawsuits

Phelan settled his case in April for 2.5 million euros.

Emma Mhic Mhathuna, a 37-year-old mother of five, also sued the HSE and the US lab who misread her slides, and recently reached a $ 7.5 million settlement.

Mhathuna was given the go-ahead for cervical cancer in 2010, 2011, and 2013 cancer anyway and is now terminal, reported the Irish Times. Spread to the lungs and spine On Thursday, Mhathuna announced on Facebook that the he cancer is now spread to his brain

The system 'lets women down'

The prime minister said the system "let women down". He vowed to go to the bottom of the facts

"The fundamental rule of medicine, of public health, should always be to give priority to the patient and never to harm," Varadkar said. in May. "Many women in Ireland are scared today, many families are traumatized and people have been disappointed because this principle has not been followed."

A photomicrograph of cancer cells detected by Pap test. A new Canadian study has revealed that an HPV test is much more effective at screening for cervical cancer, and the Irish government adds this test to its program (Elizabeth Plott / A.) CDC / Canadian Press) [19659014] Questions remain about who knew what, and when – and that's what Dr. Gabriel Scally of the Royal Society of Medicine in the UK will look at question in the context of an independent investigation. Its first conclusions were published on June 12 and its recommendations are already implemented.

The Health Information and Quality Authority, an independent body of the Ministry of Health, urged the government to completely abandon the Pap test. the primary screening method for cervical cancer

"Compared to the current strategy, primary screening for HPV is a better test that will allow all women participating in the screening to be aware of their current status Dr. Mairin Ryan said in a statement to CBC News that cervical cancer should be detected earlier. "Once HPV primary screening is established, women can be insured that the risk of false negatives will be significantly reduced. "

The Irish Cancer Society is in agreement, as is the faculty of pathology of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, which is in the process of to establish an expert advisory group on cervical cancer screening

In Canada, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also supports HPV testing. " Our guideline on HPV is always We are developing, but we support the integration of HPV molecular testing into provincial cervical cancer screening programs, "said Jennifer Blake, CEO, CBC News by e-mail .

Evidence in Canada that HPV testing detects 60% more pre-cancerous cells than the standard PAP smear. #WeNeedThisNow https://t.co/u7gCEmhbic

@PhelanVicky

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