GAME CHANGER
»»Simple home check spots cervical cancer »»Hopes more women will now take up tests
WITH cervical cancer screening at an all-time low, experts hope the introduction of a simple home urine test could boost the number of women being checked and save many more lives.
A study found the DIY test is 100 per cent accurate and there is no reason why it cannot be rolled out immediately, even being on the NHS within two to three years.
Smear test take-up is the lowest since records began 21 years ago. Screening plummeted from a peak after former reality TV star Jade Goody lost her high-profile battle with the disease in 2009.
Experts believe the reason is many women find the invasive check unpleasant and embarrassing, despite early detection increasing their chances of survival from a disease that kills almost 1000 women a year.
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust chief executive Robert Music said the new test “could be a game-changer”.
He added: “It could mean those requiring treatment are identified faster and reduce the number of women having to go for potentially unnecessary investigations. This would save the NHS precious funds.
“It is vital that further research is conducted on larger groups of women. However, the findings are exciting and could mean that new methods for cervical screening are getting closer to reality.
“For women who find the current methods of cervical screening difficult, including those with a physical disability or who have experienced trauma, it could mean they can access screening in a far more acceptable way.”
Dr Belinda Nedjai developed the urine test with a team at Queen Mary University in London. She said: “In the longer term, self-sampling could become the standard method for all screening tests. The study indicated that women much preferred doing a test at home than attending a doctor’s surgery. We expect this test to improve acceptance rates for cervical cancer screening, as well as reducing costs to health services.”
The urine test, unveiled at the NCRI Cancer Conference in Glasgow, was found to be 100 per cent accurate at detecting invasive cervical cancer, and 93 per cent accurate at detecting pre-cancerous cells.
It detects a chemical change called DNA methylation and can pick up the four versions of the human papillomavirus – HPV – most likely to lead to the disease.
The study showed women much preferred doing a test at home than at the doctor’s DR BELINDA NEDJAI OF QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY IN LONDON