An advanced technology will help University of Iowa cancer specialists test women for abnormalities in the cervix that could develop into cancer.
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of five centers nationwide installing the LUMA Cervical Imaging System as part of a clinical study. The Food and Drug Administratiion recently approved LUMA for use in combination with standard colposcopy examinations. Physicians use colposcopy exams to look for abnormal areas in the cervix that have the potential to become cancerous.
Researchers found preliminary evidence that the combination of colposcopy exams with LUMA helped specialists find 26 percent more cases of precancerous disease than colposcopy alone. There is one LUMA unit in use in the U.S. at this time.
The new unit is part of an FDA clinical study to gather more information on the effectiveness of the new technology and testing methods.
Colleen Kennedy, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UI Hospitals and Clinics, said the system will be extremely helpful in finding abnormal cells earlier, which will in turn make treatments more effective.
The UI portion of the clinical study is being supported in part by a gift to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center from John and Mary Pappajohn of Des Moines, Iowa. The fund the Pappajohns created through the UI Foundation for this purpose will eventually help pay for LUMA cervical cancer screening for women who are not able to afford the test.
The UI clinical study is being financed with funds from the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Fund. The Pappajohn Fund has offered to pay for the LUMA cervical cancer screening for women regardless of their ability to pay.
John Pappajohn, a well-known Iowa venture capitalist, and his wife, Mary, are among the university's most generous supporters. The Pappajohn Business Building, which houses the UI's Tippie College of Business, is named for them. Their philanthropy for the UI's academic medical center also has led to the naming of the Pappajohn Pavilion at UI Hospitals and Clinics and the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center. and the John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center within the Holden Center.
Because of the Pappajohns' active interest in more effective cervical cancer screening, John Pappajohn contributed to the development of the LUMA technology by becoming an investor stakeholder in San Diego-based Spectra Science Inc., which makes the LUMA Cervical Imaging System.
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UI is Iowa's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers are recognized as the leaders in developing new approaches to cancer prevention and cancer care, conducting leading edge research and educating the public about cancer . |
