Monday August 6, 2007 (Foodconsumer.org) -- A simple method using vinegar and a halogen lamp has been proved in a recent study to be effective at preventing cervical cancer in poor countries.

Reported in the Lancet, the seven -year study in India found the test reduced the number of cervical cases by 25 percent and cut the number of deaths from the disease by more than 35 percent.

Cervical cancer is not common, but highly deadly.   250,000 women worldwide die from the disease each year and the fatality rate in poor countries can be as high as 80 percent due to lack of adequate screening methods.

The finding means that the simple method may be adopted in developing countries to catch the malignancy at its earliest stage and save more women who suffer from the disease.

The test can be performed by a nurse, or trained health care provider.   Following the protocol, the test performer washes a woman's cervix with acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar and watches with naked eyes the change of its color under a halogen lamp.   If the color remains unchanged, there is no precancerous lesion and if the color turns white, the woman likely gets a precancerious lesion.

The method was tested by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France and the Institute of Medical Sciences in Tamil Nadu, India in 49,311 Indian women aged 30 to 59 between 2000 and 2003.

In the study, one group received the screening test while 31,343 control women did not receive the test, but were told to watch signs and symptoms of cervical cancer and also encouraged to undergo screening.

The researchers found the incidence of cervical cancer in the study group was 25 percent lower while the death rate in the study group was 35 percent lower compared to controls.

The efficacy of the acetic acid test was tested earlier in Mongolia.   Elit L at McMaster University in Canada and colleagues suggested “visual inspection with acetic acid has an acceptable test parameter for population-based cervical screening in Mongolia.”

The results were published in the April 10, 2006 issue of Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease.

Nevertheless, the application of the visual inspection is limited and it does not work for certain women. For instance, precancerous lesions in certain parts of the cervix can’t be readily seen. But in poor countries where more sophisticated methods can't be afforded, this test is definitely a best bet.

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