POI provides cervical cancer screening to women throughout the world while conducting medical research on early detection and prevention.  We develop, test and evaluate new methods of making cervical cancer testing more accurate and more reliable, as well as cheaper and easier to use.  Current methods of testing are costly and require a complex medical infrastructure in order to successfully detect cervical cancer and pre-cancers. In underserved populations around the world, the infrastructure and support does not exist, so women go through life without ever getting screened, which leads to late detection of cancer and subsequent unnecessary deaths.

Fact: Cervical cancer prevention in women is an important health strategy in the United States and worldwide. There are approximately 530 million cases of cervical cancer diagnosed each year in the world, and in 2008, 275,000 deaths. It is the third cause of death from cancer in women and the greatest cancer killer of women under the age of 50 years. It kills women at the height of their productive lives often when they still have children at home.

Preventive Oncology International’s research will lead to the development of low-cost screening and treatment algorithms for cervical cancer. It will also provide technologies and methods to increase access to care for women in underserved parts of the United States and areas of the world where screening programs do not exist or do not reach the women most in need. For example, using a POI developed self-collection kit, women can collect their own sample and then send the specimen to a laboratory for quicker results without the need for an examination to be performed by a health care professional.

Ultimately, the goal of POI is to expand its work to encompass prevention, early detection and treatment of other cancers as well.