New cervical cancer imaging system at LIJ

Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center recently announced implementation of a state-of-the-art imaging system for cervical cancer screening.
Although recent reports of a vaccine to combat a virus which causes cervical cancer have been headline news, the American Cancer Society (ACS) says that 30 percent of all cervical cancers come from sources not affected by the vaccine.
About 10,000 women were diagnosed and 3,700 died of the disease in 2006, according to ACS.
The ThinPrep Imaging System, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is the first fullyintegrated, interactive computer system for processing ThinPrep Pap Test slides.
According to LIJ, the system combines “revolutionary imaging technology with human interpretive expertise to improve cervical cancer screening efficiency and performance.”
An analysis published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology concluded that the test improves the accuracy of diagnosis and reduces the need for repeat tests over the conventional Pap smear test.
Cervical cancer is almost 100 percent curable if detected early. According to Dr. Patricia Wasserman, a spokesperson for LIJ, “Using the ThinPrep system offers significant improvements over previous screening technologies, and by making (it) the standard in our practice, we believe we can save lives.”