Urine test for cervical cancer could mean an end to smear tests

From the total, eighteen women had pre-cancerous changes to the cervix that needed treatment.

With the Roche HPV testing kit, urine, vaginal self samples and cervical smears picked up 15 of these.

With the Abbott HPV testing kit, urine picked up 15 of these and vaginal self samples and cervical smears picked up 16.

Dr Crosbie added that the results were ‘exciting proof of principle that urine HPV testing can pick up cervical pre-cancer cells’ but she added that they needed to trial the tests on a greater number of women.

She said: ‘We hope that is going to happen soon.

‘Urine is very simple to collect and most hospitals in the developed and developing world have access to the lab equipment to process and test the samples.

‘Let us hope this is a new chapter in our fight against cervical cancer, a devastating and pernicious disease.’

MORE: Buy a luxury condo and get free avocado on toast for a year

MORE: Woman fires back at Tinder guy who said dress wasn’t doing her ‘any favours’

The Fix

The daily lifestyle email from Metro.co.uk.

Source: Read Full Article