ThinPrep Pap Test and imaging system, cervical cancer screening

Chillicothe, Ohio

New equipment to provide earlier, more accurate cervical cancer diagnosis

Adena Health System Wednesday began use of a new, advanced cervical cancer screening system that is designed to improve efficiency and performance of the screening process.

The new ThinPrep Imaging System is the first fully integrated, interactive computer system to assist lab professionals in the primary screening of ThinPrep Pap Test slides. The system combines revolutionary imaging technology with medical experts' ability to interpret the results to improve cervical cancer screening efficiency and performance.

"Adena Regional Medical Center is committed to providing our patients with the most advanced technology to detect disease early, and the ThinPrep System enables us to do that," said Dr. Byron Smith, pathologist at Adena. "Using this system offers significant improvements over previous screening technologies. Making this technology the standard in our practice was simply the right thing to do."
The ThinPrep Pap Test is a liquid-based test that uses a fluid medium to collect and preserve cervical cells. Specimens are first collected by the clinician with a cervical sampling device in the same way as is done now. Instead of smearing the cells on a slide, however, the device is rinsed into a ThinPrep vial containing a fluid that captures virtually all of the cells. The specimen is then sent to the laboratory where a ThinPrep Processor eliminates debris and distributes a uniform, representative thin-layer of cells on a microscope slide. The ThinPrep System improves the quality of the specimen, which can result in more accurate diagnoses and fewer unnecessary repeat tests.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 15,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and about 5,000 die of the disease. Cervical cancer is almost completely curable if detected early.

More than 30 published studies with more than 500,000 patients have demonstrated the improved performance of the ThinPrep system when compared to the conventional Pap smear. A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecologyconcluded that the ThinPrep improves diagnosis of low-grade and high-grade precancerous cell abnormalities compared to the conventional Pap smear. The article also demonstrated improved sample adequacy. Currently, about 70 percent of all Pap tests in the U.S. utilize the ThinPrep Pap Test.

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