Women recruited for trial of ‘game-changing’ new tampon that scientists hope could detect ovarian cancer
Scientists hope to detect early signs of ovarian cancer using a potentially ‘game-changing’ tampon in a new clinical trial.
They will test vaginal fluid harvested from the sanitary product as well as tissue samples taken from participants’ ovaries and fallopian tubes.
There are around 7,600 new cases of ovarian cancer in the UK each year but many are diagnosed at a late stage as early symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions.
Researchers from University Hospital Southampton are recruiting 250 women with the ‘Angelina Jolie gene’, which significantly increases their risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Actress Jolie, who won an Oscar for her role in Girl, Interrupted, had her breasts and ovaries removed after her mother died of ovarian cancer and she learned she had a ‘faulty’ BRCA gene.
The Violet study will include patients who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and are having their reproductive organs removed as part of their treatment, as well as those – like Jolie – who are choosing to have them removed preemptively to reduce their risk of developing tumours.
Dr Jemma Longley, a consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator for the trial, said: ‘There is currently no screening programme available for ovarian cancer, and women with recognised genetic mutations, such as BRCA, may opt to have surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes to reduce their risk of developing the disease.
‘However, this can have significant long-term health effects by putting younger women into a surgical menopause.’
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie had her breasts and ovaries removed after her mother died of ovarian cancer and she learned she had a ‘faulty’ BRCA gene
Researchers will compare samples taken from the cancer patients with those without the disease and look for changes that are present in both ovarian cancer cells and vaginal fluid.
If Violet is successful, researchers are hopeful of conducting another larger trial of the tampon, which has been developed by biotechnology company Daye.
David Constable-Phelps, a consultant gynaecological oncology surgeon and co-investigator for the study, said: ‘The ability to detect the earliest signs of ovarian cancer, with a relatively non-invasive test such as the Daye tampon, would be a complete game-changer for women with ovarian cancer.
‘Ovarian cancer commonly has non-specific symptoms in its early and late stages, so the tumour can spread to other organs silently.
‘We are really optimistic that we will find interesting biological signals in the vaginal fluid of women with early-stage tumours, meaning more women can expect to be cured.
‘This study will pave the way towards further translational work to allow us to understand more about the biology of these cancers.’
Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of The Eve Appeal, which helped fund the study, said: ‘Anyone with an altered BRCA gene faces very difficult decisions around their health and family planning.’
She hopes the research could lead to ‘a simple and easy to use test’ that could provide personalised information to anyone going through the decision-making process.
She added: ‘It could both help them reduce their risk of ovarian cancer development or pick it up in the earliest stages, when it is most treatable.’
