Craif (Location: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Ryuichi Onose, hereinafter referred to as “Craif”) has entered into a joint study agreement with Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine (Sapporo, Hokkaido,  Dean, Dean: Shigetsugu Hatakeyama). With the conclusion of this agreement, Craif and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at  Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine (Professor: Hidemichi Watari) will begin a joint study for detecting early stage gynecological tumors using urinary exosomes.

■ Outline of the Study
Malignant tumors that originate in gynecological organs include epithelium tumors such as cervical, uterine, ovarian, vulval, and vaginal cancers, and mesenchymal tumors such as uterine sarcoma. In all of these tumors, progressive phase is the greatest prognostic factor, and early detection greatly influences subsequent treatment outcome.

In this study, we will prospectively examine the effectiveness of screening methods using urinary exosomes in the early diagnosis of these gynecological tumors. In addition, since various fetal components are also detected in the mother’s body during pregnancy, which may increase the number of false positives, we will also consider some ways to differentiate pregnancy and the existence of tumors.