A new test to diagnose cervical cancer, developed by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, has shown a 100 percent success rate, significantly outperforming diagnostic tests that are currently used, such as the Pap test and Hpv test.
Hpv, also known as human papillomavirus, is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases worldwide and is transmitted primarily through sexual activity. There are over a hundred different types, and a small proportion of these are recognized causes of cancer.
The Pap test is the most traditional diagnostic test and involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix and examining them under a microscope; it can quickly and early detect the presence of changes, including those that may be due to cervical cancer. Even the current Hpv test consists of taking a small amount of cells from the cervix and detects the presence of the virus rather than the actual risk of developing cancer: it is more effective than the Pap test, but Hpv often does not cause any problems, so many women who test positive undergo completely unnecessary stress.
Neither method is 100% effective, however.
The test developed by the London researchers was put to the test in a randomized clinical trial conducted in Canada among 15,744 women aged 25-65 years, and the result was resoundingly positive, detecting all eight types of invasive cervical cancers that developed in women, while the Pap test detected only a quarter and the Hpv test half.
The results were published in theInternational Journal of Cancer, which specified that the new test makes use of knowledge about epigenetics: instead of analyzing changes in the genetic code, it focuses on the ways in which genes are expressed, that is, when they “turn on” instead of remaining inactive.
“This is a huge development,” said study coordinator Attila Lorincz, ” Not only are we amazed at the way this test detects cervical cancer, but it is the first time anyone has demonstrated the key role of epigenetics in the development of a major solid tumor.
