New 'more effective' cervical cancer test developed

A new test has been developed that could provide a "more effective early warning system" for preventing cervical cancer than the traditional smear – according to Cancer Research UK scientists.

A report, published today in The Lancet, says that the test, which is designed to detect a virus that causes almost all cervical cancer, is far more sensitive than the smear.

The results of the study, involving 11,000 British women aged 30 – 60, suggested that the test had the potential to become "the main screening tool for preventing cervical cancer".

Scientists found that the test for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) detected 97% of significant cervical abnormalities compared to 76% for the smear. About 20% of women under 25 carry the HPV virus but this drops to 5% by the age of 40, the charity said.

Professor Jack Cuzick, Cancer Research UK's Head of Epidemiology who led the study, said: "Our findings are so promising that a pilot project should now be set up to see how the new test should be integrated into the existing cervical screening programme."

HPV infection is extremely common, but most infections disappear without causing any disease and without the need for treatment. Only when the infection persists can it cause cervical cancer.

The study focused on how best to use the test's greater sensitivity without over-treating infections that would otherwise be cleared naturally by the body's immune system.

The authors suggest that HPV testing could be the primary screening test and smears would be done (using the remainder of the sample) only in women who tested positive for the virus. If that smear were negative, the study showed that it was safe to monitor these women by re-testing a year later to see if the infection had disappeared.

Scientists also believe that this approach could reduce the number of women who are needlessly referred to hospital clinics because of false positive smear test results.

(gmcg)