Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

Aug 8, 2019

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xvR4VNV6-sc

 

The S5 DNA methylation test is able to predict which women with pre-cancerous cervical tissue disease will go on to develop frank cervical cancer.  A study from London’s Queen Mary University is the latest in a string of investigations to underscore the predictive value of this assay.

 

The S5 pyrosequencing methylation test, papilloma virus genetic testing, and conventional cytology were carried out on 149 young women with grade 2 cervical dysphasia, a precancerous state.  The S5 test was significantly better than either viral genetic testing or cytology at predicting which women would be in the group of 17% to suffer progression, in the group of 60% to enjoy regression of their disease, or in the group of 23% to have stable disease.

 

Currently, the default recommendation for women with significant pre-cancerous cervical disease is surgical removal.  The procedure has a painful recovery period and can leave a woman with a uterus unable to protect against fetal infection and premature delivery.  This S5 DNA methylation test can allow 83% of such women to avoid unnecessary surgery.

 

Karolina Louvanto, Karoliina Aro, Belinda Nedjai, Ralf Bützow, Maija Jakobsson, Ilkka Kalliala, Joakim Dillner, Pekka Nieminen, Attila Lorincz. Methylation in predicting progression of untreated high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz677

 

#Cervicaldysplasia #DNAmethylation #CIN #cervicalcancer