WO2004071304A1

WO2004071304A1 - Apparatus for gathering the cervical cells

Info

Publication number: WO2004071304A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/000322
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hee-Jae Joo
Original assignee: Medplan Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-02-17
Filing date: 2004-02-17
Publication date: 2004-08-26
Also published as: KR20040074174A; KR100524665B1

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, including a filtering unit formed with meshes having sizes to allow a vaginal secretion to pass through and not to allow cervical cells to pass through, and an absorbing unit to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed through the filtering unit. Thereby, the user can self-sample her cervical cells by use of the collecting apparatus of this invention without the need to go to the hospital.

Description

APPARATUS FOR GATHERING THE CERVICAL CELLS

Technical Field

The present invention relates, in general, to female cervical cell collection apparatuses, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, which includes a filtering unit formed with meshes having sizes to allow a vaginal secretion to pass through while not allowing cervical cells to pass through, and an absorbing unit acting to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed through the filtering unit.

Background Art

Generally, cervical cancer, a common type of cancer in women of all races, is generated by human papillomavirus that is causative of kinds of venereal diseases, and an attack mechanism thereof is relatively well known. Human papillomavirus has been found to infect the epithelial cells of the female's genital tract upon sexual intercourse, whereby DNA of human papillomavirus invades the DNA of the cellular nuclei and propagates to cause cell carcinoma. To test whether women are infected with human papillomavirus, there are proposed a variety of test methods, such as the

Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test, etc. At present, analysis of polymerase chain reaction

(PCR) is recognized as the most sensitive and correct screening method for early diagnosis of the cervical cancer by human papillomavirus. The PCR test, which is very sensitive, can correctly diagnose cervical cancer with the examination of a single cell. However, for such test, the female's cervical cell samples should be collected.

Thus, a female should further go to the clinic, and see a physician directly to collect cervical cells from the genital tract. In such cases, however, time and energy become burdens, and also, it can be^" emotionally stressful.

Further, a conventional cervical cell collecting apparatus has a pointed tip for use in collecting cervical cells. Hence, even though a skilled physician collects cervical cells by use of the conventional apparatus, walls of the female's vagina or cervix may be injured, thereby possibly leading to bacterial infection.

Korean Utility Model Application No. 1993-0022216 discloses a cell collecting structure for screening of cervical diseases, which is described by a cervical cell sampling device inserted into the vagina to collect cervical cells. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a conventional apparatus for collecting cervical cells, in which a handle grip part 1 is connected to a cell collecting part 9 by means of a connection part 3. The handle grip part 1 of the apparatus is formed in an angled shape, so as not to be released from the hand of the user while the user can easily sample cervical cells with the rotation of the above apparatus in all directions.

The connection part 3 is long formed to be suitable for reaching the cell collecting part 9 the- cervix through the vagina: In addition, the cell collecting part 9 is provided with a cell collecting brush 7 covering around the terminal end thereof. The cell collecting brush 7 is formed of fine bristles to easily perform cervical cell sampling. Meanwhile, the conventional apparatus is utilized as follows. That is, the inside of the vagina of a subject is expanded by means of an additional vagina expanding tool by the user, after which the apparatus is inserted into the expanded vagina of the subject while the handle grip part 1 of the apparatus is gripped by the user. When the cell collecting part 9 of the apparatus inserted comes into contact with the cervix of the subject, the handle grip part 1 of the apparatus is rotated in all directions by the user so that cervical cells removed from the cervix are attached to the cell collecting brush 7 of the apparatus. However, walls of the cervix and the vagina of the subject may be easily injured due to softness thereof, and hence, may be infected with bacteria. In addition, when the user is not a physician but the subject herself, the possibility of infection is increased.

In the cases where the subject goes to the hospital, instead of self-collecting cervical cells by the subject, time and costs are required. Most of all, since the subject exposes her genital tract to a physician, she is emotionally stressful. In the end, the subject is reluctant to go to the hospital, and thus, diseases, such as cervical cancer, may not be detected at an early stage.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for easily and safely collecting cervical cells by the subject herself even though she does not visit clinic.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, including a filtering unit formed with meshes having sizes to allow a vaginal secretion to pass through while not allowing cervical cells to pass through, and an absorbing unit to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed through the filtering unit.

Preferably, the filtering unit is made of any one material selected from the group consisting of cotton, pulp, and mixtures thereof, and is formed in a sheet shape.

Further, the filtering unit has means for separating the filtering unit from the absorbing unit after collection of cervical cells.

Preferably, the separating means is formed to be a cutting line, or a removable attachment portion.

Meanwhile, the absorbing unit is preferably made of any one material selected from the group consisting of cotton, pulp, and mixtures thereof, and is formed in a pad shape.

In addition, the absorbing unit has an adhesion part to attach the apparatus to an immobilizing member which serves to hold the apparatus.

The collecting apparatus of the present invention further includes a cell fixing bottle containing a cell fixing solution to fix the collected cervical cells.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional apparatus for collecting cervical cells;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a filtering unit of the apparatus of FIG.

2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an absorbing unit of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the absorbmg unit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view showing the apparatus of the present invention in practical use for collecting cervical cells; and

FIG. 8 is a view showing the filtering unit which is separated from the absorbing unit after cervical cells have been collected, placed into a cell fixing bottle.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components. FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. ^"2, a filtering unit 10 is attached on an absorbing unit 20, by means of a pair of removable attachment portions 14a and 14b provided at both side ends of the filtering unit 10. The removable attachment portions 14a and 14b are disposed at both side ends of the filtering unit 10 while being positioned between the filtering unit 10 and the absorbing unit 20. Further, the removable attachment portions 14a and 14b .have a predetermined thickness, and hence, the filtering unit 10 may be easily removed from the absorbing unit 20 after the collection of cervical cells. That is, since the removable attachment portions 14a and 14b are thicker than the' filtering unit 10 that is formed in a sheet, they are not easily bent or torn, on account of high stiffness thereof, even under predetermined pressure upon removal of the filtering unit 10 from the absorbing unit 20. Thereby, the collected cervical cell samples on the filtering unit 10 are not disrupted or damaged. FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the filtering unit of the apparatus of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is atop plan view of the absorbing unit of the apparatus of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the filtering unit 10 is composed of meshes 12 sized to allow a vaginal secretion to pass through while not allowing cervical cells to pass through. That is, the meshes 12 have sizes smaller than the cervical cells and larger than the particles of the vaginal secretion.

Moreover, the filtering unit 10, which is positioned to be adjacent to the vaginal cavity of the user for collecting cervical cells, is preferably made of natural fibers, such as cotton, pulp, or mixtures of cotton and pulp. Additionally, since the filtering unit 10 on which the collected cervical cells are present is preserved in a cell fixing solution, it is preferably shaped in a sheet for easy preservation.

In FIG. 4, the absorbing, unit 20 which functions to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed through the filtering unit 10 is illustrated. In such cases, the absorbing unit 20 is preferably made of a material having high absorption, for example, cotton, pulp, or mixtures of cotton and pulp.

Further, in consideration of the amount of the vaginal secretion being smaller than that of the menstrual blood, the absorbing unit 20 is preferably formed in a thinner pad, compared to commercially available female's hygienic bands. FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the absorbing unit of FIG. 4. To collect the cervical cell samples, a predetermined period of time is required. Therefore, as for the application of the collecting apparatus of the present mvention, the absorbing unit 20 of the apparatus is attached to an immobilizing member (not shown), and then worn by the user for a predetermined period. For this, adhesion parts 22a and 22b are provided at a rear surface of the absorbmg unit 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the adhesion parts 22a and 22b are formed in long strip shapes on the rear surface of the absorbing unit 20. Although the adhesion parts 22a and 22b of FIG. 5 are shown to be provided to two, they may be formed in one or three or more.

Further, the adhesion parts 22a and 22b may have various sizes, in addition to the size shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an apparatus for collecting cervical cells, according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the collecting apparatus includes a filtering unit 10', and an absorbing unit 20. As such, the filtering unit 10' is attached to the absorbing unit 20 to the extent of covering not only a front surface but also a rear surface (not shown) of the absorbing unit 20. The filtering unit 10' may be partially or entirely attached to the rear surface of the absorbing unit 20.

Since the filtering unit 10' surrounds the absorbing unit 20, it should have means for separating the filtering unit 10' from the absorbing unit 20 after the cervical cells have been collected. As seen in FIG. 6, the filtering unit 10' is provided with a pair of cutting lines 14c and 14d at both sides^' thereof. Hence, after completion of the cervical cell collection, the filtering unit 10' can be easily removed from the absorbing unit 20 along the cutting lines 14c and 14d.

Turning now to FIG. 7, there is shown the collecting apparatus of the present invention in practical use, to filter the cervical cells mixed in the vaginal secretion and then collect them on the filtering unit 10. FIG. 8 illustrates the filtering unit 10, which is placed into a cell fixing bottle containing a cell fixing solution.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, cervical cells 30, which are naturally removed from the cervix, are discharged out of the vagina in the state mixed with a vaginal secretion 40. Accordingly, when the discharged vaginal secretion 40 having cervical cells 30 comes into contact with the filtering unit 10 of the inventive apparatus, the vaginal secretion 40 composed of fine particles passes through the filtering unit 10 and then is absorbed to the absorbing unit 20. On the other hand, the cervical cells 30 having sizes larger than those of the meshes of the filtering unit 10 do not pass through the filtering unit 10, and thus, remain on the filtering unit 10. That is, only cervical cells are collected on the filtering unit, according to the size difference of the vaginal secretion particles and the cervical cells.

Thereafter, to fix the collected cervical cells, the filtering unit 10 is separated from the absorbing unit 20, and then is placed into a cell fixing bottle 50 having a cell fixing solution 52.

Preferably, the cell fixing solution 52 is composed of an alcoholic solution, or a mixture of an alcoholic solution and a solution capable of optimizing the test results of polymerase chain reaction. The alcoholic solution is exemplified by ethanol, methanol, etc., and examples of the polymerase chain reaction-optimizing solution include phosphate buffered saline solution, para-formaldehyde, etc.

. Thereby, the user can easily and safely self-collect her cervical cells, and thus, various diseases, such as cervical cancer, can be detected at an early stage.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides an apparatus for safely and easily collecting cervical cells, including a filtering unit formed with meshes having sizes to allow a vaginal secretion to pass tiirough while not allowing cervical cells to pass through, and an absorbing unit acting to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed tiirough me filtering unit. Further, the user can collect cervical cells herself without any assistance and does not need to visit a clinic, and thus, cervical diseases can be detected at an early stage.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, witliout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting cervical cells, comprising:

- . a filtering unit formed with meshes having sizes to allow a vaginal secretion to pass through while not allowing the cervical cells to pass through; and an absorbing unit to absorb the vaginal secretion that passed through the filtering unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filtering unit is made of any one material selected from the group consisting of cotton, pulp, and mixtures thereof.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filtering unit is formed in a sheet shape.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filtering unit has means for separating the filtering unit from the absorbing unit after the cervical cells are collected.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the separating means is a cutting line.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the separating means is a removable attachment portion.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the absorbmg unit is made of any one material selected from the group consistmg of cotton, pulp, and mixtures thereof.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the absorbing unit is formed in a pad shape.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the absorbing unit has an adhesion part to attach the apparatus to an immobilizing member which serves to hold the apparatus.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cell fixing bottle containing a cell fixing solution to fix the collected cervical cells.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cell fixing solution comprises an alcoholic solution, or a mixture of an alcoholic solution and a polymerase chain reaction-optimizing solution.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the polymerase chain reaction-optimizing solution comprises phosphate buffered saline solution, or para- formaldehyde.