IT MIGHT be possible to combat early-stage cervical cancer simply by applying a gel to a woman’s cervix, rather than removing abnormal cells surgically. The team developing the gel hopes to carry out clinical trials in the UK soon, and similar gels could one day be developed to treat other cancers on accessible surfaces.
Cervical cancer kills almost a quarter of a million women worldwide each year. It is caused by a common sexually transmitted virus, the human papilloma virus (HPV). Occasionally, the viral DNA inserts itself into the genome of cells on the surface of the cervix, boosting production…
