Early diagnosis of cervical cancer has opened up...One specimen increases the accuracy of microbial analysis
Mar 03, 2025
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Cervical cancer is a cancer that occurs in the cervix, the entrance of the uterus, and is mainly caused by the infection of 'HPV (human papilloma) virus'.
As recent studies have shown that various microorganisms present in the cervix closely affect HPV virus infection and cervical cancer development, interest in microbial analysis of the cervix is increasing.
Beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus are predominant in healthy cervical environments and play a role in protecting them from pathogens. On the other hand, studies have been reported that increasing microbial diversity and increasing specific pathogenic bacteria increase the risk of HPV infection persisting and progressing to cervical lesions.
The most basic test for early diagnosis of cervical cancer is 'Cervical Cell Test (Pap test)', in which cells on the surface of the cervix are collected using a cotton swab or a small brush and observed under a microscope. Recently, this test method has been developed and 'liquid cell test (LBC)' is widely used. Liquid cell testing is a method of immersing the collected cells in a liquid preservation solution and sending them to the laboratory, which has the advantage of better cell preservation, easier reading, and higher accuracy than conventional cell tests.
On the other hand, cervical microbiological examination was conducted only for research purposes, and the swab collection (SWAB) method was used. This method required additional testing because microorganisms could be lost during the collection process and should be carried out separately from the cell test. Accordingly, the research team conducted a study to confirm whether the liquid cell test (LBC)', which is used to diagnose cervical cancer, can also be used for microbial analysis.
The research team compared and analyzed the microbial community after collecting samples from 30 female participants using liquid cell test (LBC) and swab sampling. As a result, similar levels of microbial community data were obtained from liquid cell test (LBC) samples, and major microbial communities such as Lactobacillus and Gardella were also present at similar rates.
In particular, an Alpha Diversity Index analysis measuring microbial diversity within a sample showed that LBC samples had higher microbial diversity than swab-collecting samples. This is a result supporting the possibility that LBC specimens are more advantageous for microbial analysis.
This study is meaningful in confirming that liquid cell test (LBC) samples collected annually from millions of women worldwide are valuable resources that can even provide cervical microbiological analysis. The possibility of more precise and multifaceted analysis of cervical cancer tests using already collected samples has been opened.
Professor Kim Ki-dong of obstetrics and gynecology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, who led the study, said, `Being able to obtain two important pieces of information from a single sample will be a new opportunity for cervical cancer diagnosis.' `This study will help us understand the relationship between cellular abnormalities and changes in the microbiome, leading to the development of new biomarkers for early detection of cervical cancer.'
The study was published in the latest issue of the renowned international journal 『PLOS ONE" in the field of medicine and life sciences.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
