A Better Way to Visualize the Cervix: A Low-Cost Cervical Cancer Screening Device for LMIC Settings

Abstract

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, killing over 300,000 women annually. Lack of resources to perform screening and treatment of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as well as the stigma associated with screening has led to high mortality rates in these regions. Specifically, the speculum—a duck bill-shaped device used to open the vaginal canal for visualization of the cervix by a clinician—does not always provide a clear line of sight to the cervix and can cause patient discomfort due to the concentrated stress it exerts on the vaginal canal. To overcome these barriers, we developed a low-cost screening device for use in LMIC settings that enables better visualization of the cervix at low cervical angles and exerts less pressure on the vaginal walls compared to a speculum in finite element (FE) models.