Prueba Para la Vida Preventive Oncology international A.C. it was the first laboratory in Michoacan in applying the Hybrid Capture II for HPV detection (Human Papilloma Virus or Papillomavirus). But what does this mean? to continutuación will explain what this test and what are its benefits and virtues.
What is Hybrid Capture?
This test, known as hybrid capture, to detect the human papilloma virus before it generates lesions in the cervix and demonstrated effectiveness of 94%. So, you can know precisely if the woman is at risk for cervical cancer.
Anyone sexually active can contract infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and transmit it unknowingly because members this family of microorganisms, comprising more than 100 infectious agents are classified into groups of high and low risk, they have the ability to remain dormant for long periods.
At present it is possible to diagnose the infection with greater accuracy and minimal discomfort through the technique called Hybrid Capture, which allows to determine the viral presence with high degree of certainty, in addition to defining the type of HPV. This is useful to define the treatment in women who are detected lesions caused by the virus through vaginal cytology test or Papanicolaou (microscopic observation of a sample of tissue from the cervix).
According to reports from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) of the Ministry of Health (SSA), in Mexico die each year about 4,000 women from cervical cancer (1 every 2 hours). Therefore, it is expected that by hybrid capture technique, which has been approved internationally, 24% of deaths and 49% of the expenses generated the attention of the disease are reduced.
New technique
The most reliable way to confirm the presence of a microorganism hidden in our body is looking for what distinguishes it from any other being: their genetic material.
Furthermore, by locating the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, accumulating genetic information) of human papilloma virus, it is also possible to determine whether it is a virus of low risk, ie, that can be controlled by the body and hardly cause dangerous abnormalities (such as types 6, 11, 42, 43, 44, 53 and 54), or one of the high risk, that under no circumstances should be ignored because they can trigger the onset of cancer (variants 16, 18, 31 , 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 68).
«To achieve its mission, the new technique is based on molecular knowledge of the virus genome and consists of ‘fish’, literally, the genetic material of HPV with other genes of the virus, which are created synthetically in the laboratory and have the ability to associate with others corresponding to them in the cell sample that we get from the patient «refers Dra. Olga Ramirez Bernal, graduated pathologist General Hospital of Mexico, assigned to the SSA and located in Mexico City.
The procedure is possible because the DNA consists of chains of complementary molecules (like puzzle pieces) that are linked by chemical bonds that can be separated relatively easily and re-created on favorable terms, when they find their pair.
So what you are looking for this test is to form hybrid molecules (hence its name), which arise from the union of fragments of genetic information complementary synthetic HPV and those that were generated in the laboratory.
Subsequently, these hybrids are placed on a support (for example, a test tube or a box glass) and are contacted with antibodies capable of recognizing them. At the same time, they are exposed to reagents capable of emitting a light signal that amplifies the interaction and to discover the viral presence.
According to the specialist, the sampling for the test is made possible by a harmless and painless procedure. «It is done using a special collector kit, consisting of a brush that is inserted into the vagina and uterus slightly scraped, and a tube provided with special solution.»
This device is sent to the laboratory for analysis, and that specialists can directly visualize the DNA of human papilloma virus, which can identify any anomalies before the first lesions or cancer appear. Note that the cell samples were not studied by one, because the kit is designed to process large number of tests simultaneously.
Results
The test hybrid capture itself has an approximate effectiveness of 94% in the detection of HPV, and when combined with studies of vaginal cytology and colposcopy (observation of the cervix and vagina with a special microscope that identifies precancerous lesions) , the detection of high risk papillomavirus before cancer tissues generated, is 97%.
We should note that although the results of the studies confirm the presence of HPV, it does not mean that cancer is present in the cervix; however «this information allows us to determine whether the patient is at risk of suffering and, thus, prevent it by frequent monitoring and specific treatments. Also, when the result is negative there is little or no risk of developing malignant tumors, «says Dr.. Ramirez Bernal.
In turn, Dr. Aurelio Cruz Valdez, deputy director of Academic Support Center for Population Health Research of INSP, located in Cuernavaca (central Mexico), emphasizes that the hybrid capture test is used only in older women 30, «because although it is common to find HPV infection in under 25 years, it is highly likely that eliminate injuries alone, with or without medical treatment after a year.»
Abunda expert: «It is possible that if we make hybrid capture exam in Mexican with 25 years or less, we detect that 80% of them not at high risk of developing cervical cancer; therefore, we prefer to conduct this test to women over 30, who usually have no ability to eliminate injuries and are subject to persistent infection with dangerous injuries. «
Finally, it is worth remembering that specialists suggest that all women their first Pap smear or Pap made between six months and one year after beginning his sexual life; then they should get an abortion once a year and when the gynecologist considers it appropriate, supplement this test with colposcopy and hybrid capture test.