Early Trials of HPV Test Offer Hope For Cervical Cancer Screening: STAT News

A new genomic test for the human papillomavirus (HPV) has shown promising results in early trials, potentially enhancing cervical cancer screening in regions with high mortality rates, such as sub-Saharan Africa, STAT News reports.

Early Success

The study, led by researchers from Rice University, demonstrates how an affordable HPV DNA test could make cervical cancer screening more accessible in resource-limited countries. “It’s very exciting — they’ve made an important advancement in getting us to a point-of-care test,” said Sarah Finocchario Kessler, a public health researcher at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Screening Challenges

Current screening methods, such as the Pap smear, require robust laboratory infrastructure and skilled medical professionals, making them expensive and less accessible in developing countries. The HPV DNA test, however, can be performed by a minimally trained healthcare professional, using a mini centrifuge in the lab.

Study Findings

The researchers analyzed self-collected cervical swab samples from patients at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focusing on HPV16 and HPV18 genotypes, which account for 70% of all cervical cancer cases. The tests were then transported to Maputo in Mozambique for further evaluation, where they showed promising results.

Future Improvements

Despite the early success, the tests showed less sensitivity in samples with low concentration of cervical swabs and false negatives in samples with extremely high cell counts. The team plans to address these issues in future studies and further optimize the test based on their findings from Mozambique.

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