Montréal, February 20, 2019 - For 26 years, the magazine Québec Science continues the tradition: every autumn, a jury of researchers and journalists selects the 10 most impressive Quebec discoveries of the past year, and the public is then invited to vote for the one of their choice. This year, it was a new test for endometrial and ovarian cancer that won over readers, with more than a third of the votes cast in the Discoveries of the year 2018.
Together, uterine and ovarian cancers rank third in terms of incidence and mortality among women. Even today, they are difficult to detect before it's too late. In fact, cure rates have barely budged over the past 25 years. But things could soon change, thanks to an early detection test called PapSEEK, developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, led by Dr. David B. B. B., who has been working on the development of a vaccine for the treatment of breast cancer. Dr. Lucy Gilbert, director of the MUHC Gynecological Cancer Service and professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University, and the Dr Kris Jardon, researcher and gynecologist-oncologist at the IR-CUSM.
At present, there is no reliable screening test for these cancers in women who have no symptoms. And even when symptoms do appear, they remain vague, making diagnosis difficult.
The non-invasive PapSEEK test involves the genetic analysis of a sample of cells from the uterine wall, a procedure similar to a Pap test during a gynecological examination. The tool detects the presence of mutations in ovarian and endometrial cells.
To date, 18 genes have been significantly associated with uterine and ovarian cancer. They make it possible to identify abnormal cells before the disease worsens. By comparing samples obtained from patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer with those collected from healthy women, the researchers were able to detect up to 93 % of uterine cancers and 45 % of ovarian cancers, without any false positives. A first for a non-invasive technique! The team reported their findings in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The PapSEEK test could be available within the next few years if research progresses further.
«It's a great joy to learn that our team has won the Québec Science People's Choice Award. Over the past 30 years, cure rates for these cancers have stagnated due to late diagnosis. This public vote reflects a need for hope, which our research fills," says Dr. Lucy Gilbert. We thank Québec Science for its efforts to promote the work of Quebec researchers and raise public awareness of the scientific issues of our century.»
«With this vote, the public is expressing its wish that a reliable test for the early diagnosis of ovarian and endometrial cancer should be available in the years to come," adds the Dr Kris Jardon. The toll is often very heavy for women and their families. This vote is a cry from the public that we are hearing and that encourages us to redouble our efforts in our research work.»
«Cancer alone is responsible for 33% of deaths in the province. It's a frightening disease, and every glimmer of hope arouses keen public interest. Our readers saw in this test the opportunity to change and extend the lives of many women here and abroad,» says Québec Science editor Marie Lambert-Chan.
Also taking part in the discovery were Xing Zeng, Jocelyne Arseneau and Lili Fu of the RI MUHC and McGill University, along with researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the University of Gothenburg, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen and Odense University Hospital.
Dr. Gilbert would like to thank the Cedars Cancer Foundation and the MUHC Foundation, which have supported her work for several years.
