Urine and swab tests could replace cervical cancer smear tests – research

Smear tests may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a breakthrough that could allow women to check their risk of developing cervical cancer without needing to visit the doctor.

The British scientists behind the tests hope they will become routine within three to five years. In a study of 600 patients ‘pre-cancer’ signs were identified with greater than 80 per cent accuracy – similar to existing methods.

The findings are crucial because cervical cancer screening rates have plunged to a 21-year low, with just seven in ten women attending. Many ignore invitation letters because they find smear tests painful or embarrassing. Others might prefer a home test because it saves time.

The test identifies changes in DNA caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV),the virus that causes 99% of cervical cancer cases and which can be passed on during sex.

Women could easily collect the samples needed in the comfort of their own home, making the smear test obsolete and likely boosting participation in cervical screening programmes that many would otherwise dread.

Via Sky News/ Daily Mail