New cervical cancer test will ‘revolutionise screening’
A NEW test for cervical cancer that could “revolutionise screening” has been found to outperform current UK tests at a reduced cost, according to a study.
The “epigenetics-based” test detected 100 per cent of the cancers that developed in 15,744 women in a screening trial led by Queen Mary University of London.
It performed “significantly better” than the Pap smear or human papillomavirus (HPV) test, and the study’s authors believe it would be cheaper if fully rolled out.
The Pap smear detected one quarter, while the HPV test detected half of the cancers in the group of women aged 25-65 in Canada.
Lead researcher Professor Attila Lorincz, who also helped develop the world’s first test for HPV in 1988, called it an “enormous development”.
She said: “We’re not only astounded by how well this test detects cervical cancer. But it is the first time that anyone has proven the key role of epigenetics in the development of a major solid cancer using data from patients in the clinic.
“Epigenetic changes are what this cervical cancer test picks up and is exactly why it works so well.”
Cervical cancer screening is usually done through the Pap smear, which can only detect around 50% of pre-cancerous cells in the cervix. The HPV test, which looks for the presence of cancer-causing HPV DNA, is more accurate, but does not identify women’s risks of developing cancer.
Instead of checking for patterns in the DNA genetic code, the new test examines chemical markers that sit on top of the DNA, forming its “epigenetic profile”.
Prof Lorincz added: “This really is a huge advance in how to deal with Hpv-infected women and men, numbering in the billions worldwide, and it is going to revolutionise screening.
“We were surprised by how well this new test can detect and predict early cervical cancers years in advance, with 100% of cancers detected, including adenocarcinomas, which is a type of cervical cancer that is very difficult to detect.
“The new test is much better than anything offered in the UK at present but could take at least five years to be established.”
Study authors believe that detecting the disease from the start would reduce the number of doctors’ visits and screening appointments.
Breast cancer survival is improving and has doubled in the past 40 years in the UK.
Almost nine in 10 women survive breast cancer for five years or more. Every year around 11,500 people die from breast cancer in the UK. An estimated 691,000 are alive in the UK after a diagnosis of breast cancer.