United States: A new thesis or can say study claims that the ultrasound test used to check for endometrial cancer might not work well for Black women. This test which is called a transvaginal ultrasound and this measures the thickness of the endometrium, the inner part of the uterus.
Study Findings and Concerns
As mentioned by U.S. News, the test is supposed to be very accurate—if the endometrium is thinner than 4 millimeters, it means there is no cancer. But the study found that this test might not always be right for Black women, even though it is supposed to be almost perfect.
But that particular protocol can be deadly for black women, says the study.
Why Ultrasound Screening is Less Effective for Black Women
As reported in the U.S. News, there are almost 10 percent of the women with endometrial cancer had thicknesses below 4 millimeters, and researchers found by analyzing 1,500 black—patients who underwent hysterectomies at ten hospitals.
These particular Statements have been taken from the source U.S. News.
“We found that 9.5% of the cancers in Black women were detected below the threshold of 4 millimeters, and 11.5% of the cancers would have been missed at 5 millimeters,” lead researcher Dr. Kemi Doll, who is a gynaecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, said in a news release.
“This is just not acceptable,” Doll said of the current standards for ultrasound screening. “What we found in real-world clinical scenarios is that it’s just not accurate enough to be safely employed as a strategy among Black people. Whereas, a tissue biopsy is conclusive.”
In the ultrasound screening a probe is inserted into the vagina that produces the sound waves and by moving it around, the technicians can capture the images of reproductive structures like the uterus and fallopian tubes.
A Call for Better Screening Methods
So here in Black women, there are four complicating factors that make it more challenging to screen for endometrial cancer using the ultrasound, she said:
- Decreased and less amount of the visibility of cancers
- Increased the presence of the non-cancerous fibroids, which can distort the quality of the images.
- Because of the larger body size .
- Depends on the skill of the tech who is there to scan.
“You might have a cancerous lesion in one area, but not another, but if you don’t look in that specific area, you might assume (the patient) is cancer free,” Doll said.
These results show that technicians and doctors “need to do more” to screen for endometrial cancer in Black women, she said.
For Black women, a tissue sample should be the first test for cancer, rather than an optional follow-up to ultrasound, Doll said.