A British study has discovered a new cervical cancer screening test that has a 100% detection rate. These results are well above those of the current tests.
The study, published in theInternational Journal of Cancer, compared a new epigenetics-based cervical cancer test with current tests such as the Pap smear and the human papillomavirus (HPV) test. It has made it possible to determine the evolution of cervical cancer up to five years in advance, surpassing our current screenings and at a reduced cost!
“A huge development”
Unlike current tests, which search the genetic code of DNA for patterns indicative of the HPV virus, the new test examines the natural chemical markers that appear on top of DNA and thus make up its “epigenetic profile”. Thanks to this new means of screening, 100% of the cancers of the cervix of the women tested could be screened.
“This is a huge development,” says Attila Lorincz, the study’s principal investigator, who also helped develop the world’s first HPV test in 1988. “We are not only amazed by the quality of this cervical cancer test but this is the first time anyone has proven the key role of epigenetics in the development of cancer using patient data. is corrected by epigenetic changes and that’s exactly why it works so well.”
More effective than Pap smear and HPV test
The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial on 15,744 women, aged between 25 and 65. Thanks to the new epigenetic test, the researchers were able to detect 100% of the eight cervical cancers in these women! In comparison, the smear detected only 25% of cancers and the HPV test, 50%. The study also took a closer look at 257 women who tested positive for HPV. The new screening test detected 93% of precancerous lesions in these women, compared to 86% using a combination of the smear test and HPV test, and 61% using the smear test alone .
“It’s really a huge advance in the way of treating women infected with HPV”, says Attila Lorincz. “We were surprised by the ability of this new test to detect and predict cervical cancers at an early stage, with 100% of cancers detected, including adenocarcinomas, a very common type of cervical cancer. difficult to detect.
Coming soon ?
The authors believe that using this test in the clinic would help reduce the number of visits to the doctor because screening is done very quickly with this new method. Moreover, they add that its implementation would lead to lower costs because it is cheaper than the HPV test.
However, they add that we will have to wait before seeing this test being marketed. Indeed, these results still need to be confirmed. The researchers estimate that five years will be needed before being able to offer this screening to the general public.
