HPV Test Found To Be 90% Effective In Detecting Cervical Cancer In Rural Area Of China, Study Finds

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 6:00 PST

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A new low-cost, rapid cervical cancer screening test, called careHPV, was 90% accurate in identifying women who have CIN2+, which includes moderate or severe cervical disease and cancer, according to a study published on Monday in the journal Lancet Oncology, the Washington Post reports (Marr, Washington Post, 11/23). CareHPV is designed to detect 14 high-risk types of HPV in two-and-a-half-hours, which means a woman can be screened and treated in the same visit (AFP/Google.com, 9/21).

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide and causes 300,000 deaths a year, 85% of which occur in developing countries (Tan, Reuters, 9/22). The most common test currently used in rural areas of developing countries involves painting a woman's cervix with vinegar to mark abnormalities, but the test is unreliable, the Post reports. The global health group PATH in 2003 received a $13 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a new test. PATH partnered with the pharmaceutical company Digene, which was taken over by Qiagen last year, on modifying an FDA-approved HPV test (Washington Post, 9/22).


The study took place in women in the Shanxi province of eastern China, according to the Post. The test, manufactured by Qiagen, was designed specifically for use in rural areas of developing countries that lack financial resources and medical infrastructure (Washington Post, 9/22). The test is suitable for these countries because it does not require electricity or running water and can be used by nontechnical staff (AFP/Google.com, 9/21). The trial involved 2,388 women in Shanxi province who were given instruments and instructions to collect specimens themselves. Midwives also collected other swab samples from the women. The specimens were all run through careHPV tests, and the results were compared against digital colposcopies -- which examine the cervix and surrounding tissues for precancerous lesions -- conducted by a gynecologist on site. The researchers in a statement said that the "ability of the careHPV test to detect precancerous cells was found to be 90%; 84.2% of the women without precancerous disease were identified as negative by the test" (Reuters, 9/22).

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John Sellors of McMaster University, the lead author of the study, said the results were "very promising." He added, "If women 30 years and older could be screened at least once in their lifetimes with such a test, and appropriate treatment administered at the same visit, public health programs would be affordable and deaths from cervical cancer would be reduced by a third" (AFP/Google.com, 9/21).

Although most Western countries use Pap tests to detect HPV, the test is expensive, requires a clinical setting, special equipment and a highly trained clinician. Linda Alexander, Qiagen's vice president of women's health and global advocacy, said, "The idea of replicating that in the developing world, where resources are scarce, doesn't make sense." Qiagen plans to sell the test to governments and nongovernmental organizations; however, the company has not yet set a fixed price. Pamela Rasmussen, a Qiagen spokesperson, said, "We're not going to turn anyone down. We are going to make it affordable for companies and entities that want to get this out to women" (Washington Post, 9/22).

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