# Novel see and treat strategies for cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $627,176

## Abstract

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death for women worldwide; 85% of deaths occur in low and middle-
income countries (LMICs), despite the fact that well-established interventions exist for pre-invasive disease. In the
U.S., screening for cervical cancer is performed with the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear. Colposcopy, which visualizes
the acetic acid stained cervix with a low power microscope, followed by biopsy of cervical abnormalities, serves as a
confirmatory test for women with positive screening results. Women with pre-cancer are treated via excision of a
portion of the cervix using Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP). Women with cancer are referred to a
combination of local and/or systemic therapy depending on the stage of invasive disease. This model is not practical
to implement in medically-underserved regions due to lack of resources to procure, implement, and maintain the
technologies in the care cascade. Thus, alternative protocols that employ low-cost, simple-to-use technologies are
needed to mitigate cervical cancer. Our vision is to develop high quality, low-cost interventions that will be effective in
low-resource health facilities to address shortcomings of current technological solutions to cervical cancer prevention.
This vision requires 3 distinct innovations: 1) an ultra-portable visualization device coupled with routinely used contrast
agents to reduce discomfort, enable visualization of microscopic disease, and provide quality control through image
review and archiving (Aim 1); 2) enhanced contrast and smart algorithms to reduce unnecessary referrals or treatment
of screen positive women (in the absence of confirmatory biopsy) (Aim 2); and 3) a low-cost therapeutic that is as
effective as current ablative approaches but more readily accessible to treat pre-invasive disease (Aim 3). These
innovations build upon: 1) a novel Pocket colposcope developed under previous funding that enables portable
colposcopy of the cervix; and 2) preliminary results that support these new innovations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9851360
- **Project number:** 5R01CA239268-02
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID Frank KATZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $627,176
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9851360

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9851360, Novel see and treat strategies for cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings (5R01CA239268-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9851360. Licensed CC0.

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