DIY smear test works for cervical cancer

A DO-IT-YOURSELF smear test could enable millions of women in poorer countries to head off cervical cancer.

Eighty-five per cent of cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries, where screening for pre-cancerous changes is rare due to difficulties in obtaining samples and a shortage of cytologists to interpret them. Testing for DNA from the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes the disease is an alternative method. A kit created by Qiagen of Gaithersburg, Maryland, enables women to take their own cell sample, which is then posted to a lab.

Fang-Hui Zhao of Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China, and colleagues have now reviewed data from 13,000 women in China screened using HPV-testing, traditional smear testing, or a method that uses acetic acid.

Self-HPV testing was the most effective at detecting early signs of cancer, although there were some false positives - some women had HPV but didn't have any signs of cervical cancer (JNCI: Journal of the National Institute of Cancer, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djr532). "Self-HPV testing has potential as a primary screening method for women, regardless of their access to healthcare," says Zhao.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c28f791/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cmg213284930B40A0A0Ediy0Esmear0Etest0Eworks0Efor0Ecervical0Ecancer0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

amazon tablet amazon tablet carl sagan gloria estefan ahava ahava kelly cutrone