KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Naveen was diagnosed with cervical cancer three years ago. She had no idea until she became pregnant and began having complications. Today, she is in remission, but for the thousands of women in Asia who contract the often fatal disease, a new test kit has them hopeful, if it can break down barriers. “When I was first diagnosed, many people wondered what I had done wrong, what was the problem and it was very difficult,” she told Bikyamasr.com at her Kuala Lumpur flat. “I think that we as a culture are getting better at allowing women to find the healthcare and services that we need, but it is still an uphill battle,” Naveen added. For a Singapore-Dutch joint venture that is exactly what they hope to tackle, by giving the women the opportunity to test for the cancer in the comforts of their own home. The new home test kit will make the process easier and more convenient for women, away from the watchful eyes of society and the fear of getting a traditional pap smear. According to the World Health Organization, some 500,000 new cases of the disease are reported annually, with 250,000 women dying as a result each year. It has become the second most common form of cancer after breast cancer for women. “We are still struggling with reaching out to women for cervical cancer screening in Asia,” Singapore gynaecological oncologist Tay Eng Hseon said at a media briefing on Monday, citing factors such as shyness, culture, fear and lack of time. Delphi Bioscience Asia is a collaboration between Delphi Bioscience BV, a life sciences company based in the Netherlands, and its Singapore partners Tay and businessman David Tan. The new Delphi screener, with a cylindrical shape and round tip, can be inserted to the top of the cervix by the user to collect cells with a sterile, saline liquid. This is then used to test for high-risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which could cause cervical cancer. The more traditional pap smear sees cells scraped from the opening of the cervix and then put under a microscope for testing. The recommended retail price for the screener is S$79.90 (RM194.88), including the laboratory test. This compares with S$30-40 (RM73-98) for a pap smear in a clinic and more than S$100 (RM244) for an HPV test, Tay said. “I hope the price goes down because I think a lot of women would be interested in the kit here in Malaysia, because we care for our health,” Naveen continued. “And it keeps those eyes away from making it scary for women to seek help.” Delphi expects the screener to be available at about 100 family physician clinics in Singapore over the next three months and plans to use the Southeast Asian city-state as a regional launchpad for greater East Asia. Tan, executive managing director (commercial) at Delphi Bioscience Asia, said in comments published by Reuters news agency that its Indonesian distributor has committed to 1.5 million units over the next 12 months and Malaysia is next in the company's sights. But China, the world's second-largest economy, poses significant regulatory hurdles, Tan said. “China is not on our immediate radar for obvious reasons,” he said. “Regulatory approvals take a long time and they are very complicated. There is hope for women and their health and with individuals like Naveen ready and willing to speak out about her bout with cancer, cultures seem to be changing, albeit slowly, in Malaysia and across East Asia. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/NPbJx Tags: Asia, Cervical Cancer, Health, Kit, Malaysia, Women Section: Editor's choice, Features, Health, Latest News, Southeast Asia, Women
