Scientists Seek New Tests For A Cancer On The Rise
Womb cancer particularly affects Mori and Pacific Island women – Pacific women have one of the highest rates in the world,says Blenkiron, who is head of the Universitys Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology.
An epidemic of womb cancer in New Zealand is being tackled by University of Auckland researchers.
Associate Professor Cherie Blenkiron and Dr Sandra Fitzgerald, who are affiliated with the University's Centre for Cancer Research, are working to develop less invasive tests for womb cancer.
'Specialists at New Zealand hospitals are seeing many more women with womb cancer and there has been a huge increase in the number of younger women diagnosed.
'Womb cancer particularly affects Māori and Pacific Island women – Pacific women have one of the highest rates in the world,' says Blenkiron, who is head of the University's Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology.
Women who are obese or have diabetes are more likely to develop cancer of the womb.
'With the epidemic of obesity and diabetes, we're also seeing an epidemic of womb cancer,' says Blenkiron.
A decade ago, about 600 new cases of womb cancer were detected in New Zealand each year, but that has risen rapidly to about 750 a year.
It used to be regarded as a disease affecting women after menopause, but these days women as young as 30 are being diagnosed.
The national cervical screening programme was picking up 25 to 30 percent of womb cancer cases, but it has been replaced by HPV tests that don't detect womb cancer.
That means there's an urgent need to develop new womb cancer screening tests, which are not currently widely available in New Zealand, says Blenkiron.
'Our dream is to provide an accurate, affordable test that can be done in a GP clinic, possibly by the woman herself,' she says.
If womb cancer is picked up early, most women survive.
However, some women make the fatal mistake of brushing away concerns about menstrual bleeding that is excessive or that occurs between periods or after menopause. Some don't realise these are the primary symptoms of womb cancer, while others feel too shy to seek help.
In some cases, GPs struggle to know whether patients need a biopsy to determine whether they have womb cancer, says Fitzgerald.
'A less invasive test will help pick up cancers early, which will improve women's chances of survival,' she says.
Without widespread screening tests in New Zealand, women generally have to go to hospital for a biopsy to test for the cancer.
Recently, overseas researchers have devised ways to test vaginal swab samples for DNA modifications that signal cancer to try to reduce the number of women sent for unnecessary biopsies.
'We said 'look, in a number eight wire, New Zealand way, let's make that happen here',' says Blenkiron
The researchers are also working on ways to test biopsy samples to identify which type of womb cancer a patient has. These molecular tests would identify aggressive cancers that require chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as hysterectomy.
'We've got high hopes that test might be available for patients throughout New Zealand by next year,' says Blenkiron.
The researchers are also forging into new territory, looking at innovative ways to create world-leading tests.
The Cancer Society has just granted $250,000 for their research to identify DNA mutations that cause cancer. Blenkiron and Fitzgerald hope a swab test might be developed that is sensitive enough to detect traces of DNA mutations that have been shed from the uterus into the vagina.
Since 2021, the researchers have been looking at whether the microbiome in the vagina and uterus is different in women with cancer. They have created a test using vaginal and uterine swabs that is now being trialled on about 300 women at five hospitals in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
This work is being carried out with a $175,000 grant from Auckland Medical Research Foundation and $80,000 from the Cancer Research Trust NZ.
In 2020, the Li Family Cancer Research Fund and the Centre for Cancer Research – Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku granted $50,000 for the researchers to look at markers in blood samples that might point to womb cancer. This test is now being tried out on numerous samples from patients.
These potentially groundbreaking projects are likely to take longer, but the researchers hope tests might reach patients within the next 10 years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsroom
2 hours ago
- Newsroom
Swabs, scans and Star Trek: How healthcare is getting personal
Personalised medicine is moving beyond one-size-fits-all treatments, using genetic, clinical, demographic and lifestyle data to tailor care to the individual. In cancer, for example, some therapies now target mutations unique to a patient's DNA, improving outcomes and reducing side effects. But that's only the beginning. Genome sequencing of some of our sickest Kiwi newborns – and their parents – is already helping guide diagnosis and treatment of children with rare diseases. Meanwhile New Zealand is at the forefront of global research into the human digital twin. This field is about creating virtual replicas of patients built from their health data, including DNA profiles, medical history, imaging and biomarkers. Digital twins could allow doctors to test treatment scenarios, including surgery or medication, in a risk-free environment, predicting how a patient might respond before starting therapy. This year's free Raising the Bar event – where a selection of the University of Auckland's most interesting (and entertaining) academics talk about their research in some of the city's best watering holes – features two top researchers in the field of personalised medicine. Professor Justin O'Sullivan's talk, 'Swab, sequence, surprise! How science is personalising your health' explores cutting-edge science around gut bugs, DNA and metabolic fingerprints. O'Sullivan is director of the world-leading Liggins Institute, focusing on health research, and an expert in gut bugs and in DNA sequencing. Meanwhile Professor Merryn Tawhai, director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, is 'reimagining healthcare with human digital twins'. As well as heading the lung team of the institute's human digital twin project, Tawhai sits on the board of directors for Cure Kids and was recently appointed to the Prime Minister's Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council. Oh, and she's a committed Star Trek fan. 'Swab, sequence, surprise': What's that all about? Justin O'Sullivan: So you can swab different areas of your body, right? You can get cells from your mouth and that can tell you about your genetics and that's really important for predicting disease risk. But you can also swab your butt and find out about gut bacteria. And having healthy colonies of bacteria are really important because they modify how our bodies are working, and they are our interface with our environment. Science is personalising our health not just looking at our electronic records but looking at our body as a walking ecosystem. Sure, you're affected by your environment, but other factors, particularly your DNA and the organisms you carry with you, are working along with the environmental factors to determine your health. When we bring everything together we can ensure diagnosis and treatments are personal to you. How do you feel about talking in a bar environment? It's a bit of a thrill, to be honest. At an academic conference, you look around and a lot of people are on their phones, their laptops; they're not interested in the talk. At Raising the Bar, you are talking to a group of people who have gone there specifically to listen to you. They're engaged. And that engagement is a really important thing. Professor Justin O'Sullivan is talking at 6pm August 26 at Wynyard Pavilion, 17 Jellicoe Street, Auckland tickets here. I hear you'll be talking about Star Trek and digital twins at Raising the Bar. Sneak preview? Remember in Star Trek when somebody got ill there was that little handheld device that just scanned over them and they miraculously knew what was wrong with them and how to treat them? Okay, we're not quite there yet but we're surprisingly far along that pathway. The human digital twin project is about doctors being able to predict how your body would respond to surgery without ever touching you. Or being able to see exactly how you would react to new medication before you take it. As a Trekkie myself, I like to imagine bringing the Star Trek tricorder to life. In a few years' time, if you get sick we will have a digital twin of you, and we will be able to scan part of you and get new information that tells us about your current condition, and that is linked to the digital twin. And that will allow us to make more rapid diagnosis and determine a personalised treatment plan for you. Professor Merryn Tawhai is talking at 6pm August 26 at Good George, 1 Jellicoe Street, North Wharf, Auckland tickets here.
NZ Herald
13 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Proposed Pae Ora health bill changes concern Rotorua Iwi Māori Partnership Board
The Government's proposed legislative changes to the health system 'threaten to remove iwi's meaningful participation' on the future of Māori health, the Rotorua area Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) says. Te Taura Ora o Waiariki attended the national IMPB hui on August 7 and 8 in New Plymouth where IMPBs
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
Two In Five Kiwi Men Die Prematurely, New Movember Report Reveals
Press Release – Movember The report finds men are dying almost 4 years earlier than women, with heart disease, certain cancers and suicide leading the toll. Suicide is the number one cause of death for young men aged 1534, and three in every four New Zealanders who die by suicide are male. 12 August 2025 – Two in five men living in Aotearoa New Zealand die prematurely – before the age of 75 – most from causes we know how to prevent and treat. That's the stark reality revealed in The Real Face of Men's Health: Aotearoa New Zealand, a landmark new report from the Movember Institute of Men's Health. It's the most comprehensive look at men's health in New Zealand to date – and it makes the issue impossible to ignore. The report finds men are dying almost 4 years earlier than women, with heart disease, certain cancers and suicide leading the toll. Suicide is the number one cause of death for young men aged 15–34, and three in every four New Zealanders who die by suicide are male. Among young tāne Māori aged 25–44, the suicide rate soars to nearly 60 deaths per 100,000 – the highest of any group in the country. 'These aren't just statistics – they're sons, fathers, brothers, and mates. And their deaths send shockwaves through whānau, workplaces and communities,' says report contributor Dr Simon Bennett (Ngāti Whakaue, Patu Harakeke, Ngāti Waewae), Director of Clinical Psychology Training at Massey University and member of Movember's Global Indigenous Advisory Committee. 'Too often, men are falling through the cracks, missing out on the critical support they need, when and where they need it most – and it has gone on for too long.' The research exposes major barriers stopping men from getting care – from masculine stereotypes and the expectation to 'tough it out', to health systems that too often feel unwelcoming or dismissive. Six in ten men say their concerns aren't taken seriously by healthcare providers, while nearly two-thirds feel masculine stereotypes have negatively influenced their health. 'If we addressed just the top five preventable diseases in men, New Zealand could have saved $917 million in 2023 alone,' says Professor Simon Rice, Global Director of the Movember Institute of Men's Health. 'The solutions exist. Now is the time for national action.' Movember is calling on the New Zealand Government to develop a Men's Health Strategy – grounded in equity and partnership with Māori – to deliver coordinated action across policy, services and systems. Because when men live longer, healthier lives — everyone benefits. 'This is a critical opportunity to change the trajectory of men's health in Aotearoa,' says Professor Rice. 'Healthier men mean healthier families, stronger communities and a stronger country.' New Zealanders can read the full report, which details the premature mortality of Kiwi men, the economic cost of poor men's health, the impact whānau and caregivers, and what's proven to work – and join the conversation at About Movember Movember is the leading global charity changing the face of men's health. What began as a bristly idea in Australia in 2003 quickly grew into a global movement – one that has sparked millions of important conversations, raised over AUD $1.83 billion for men's health, funded more than 1,300 health projects, and helped break the silence surrounding men's health issues. From breakthrough prostate and testicular cancer research to bold investments in mental health and suicide prevention, Movember is transforming how health services reach and support men. The charity works to ensure more men recognise when they're struggling, more supporters know how to step in, and health systems are better equipped to respond to men in need. Movember champions inclusive, gender-responsive healthcare — improving health outcomes not just for men, but for the families and communities they're part of. Together, we can help men live healthier, longer lives.
