ABSTRACT
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 12,710 new cases of invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in 2011 and about 4,290 women will die from the disease in the United States [1]. Worldwide, there are approximately 550,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed annually and approximately 300,000 deaths per year [1]. Like most cancers, cervical cancer is easily treated if diagnosed early, and the uterine cervix is one of the few cancer-af•icted organs, which can be accessed and visualized in a noninvasive manner. If detected in its precancerous state, treatment can lead to almost 100% survival in 5 years [1]. Moreover, the signicant difference* in treatment cost between high-grade cervical precancer and stage 1 or higher cancer demonstrates a pressing economic need for early detection technologies. Estimates show the market potential for noninvasive cervical cancer detection to be at $1.25 billion annually in the United States and Europe.
