Urine Test Could Make Cervical Cancer Testing Easier

A novel urine screen for human papillomavirus (HPV) could facilitate care for HIV-positive women, US researchers reported.

HIV-positive women "may represent one of the fastest-growing populations at risk for acquiring cervical cancer and thus require frequent screening," explained Joeli A. Brinkman and colleagues at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Tulane University in New Orleans. Their report, "Detection of Human Papillomavirus DNA in Urine Specimens from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Women," was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2002;40(9):3155-3161).

Brinkman and coauthors reported findings that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based urine assay is as reliable as standard tests for finding HPV infection, which has been linked to cervical cancer development. Comparing the PCR urine screen with conventional molecular assays requiring cervical swab specimens, researchers found that positive urine and cervical swab results had similar correlations with abnormal Pap smear results. Viral genotype had little if any effect on the results of either HPV screen.

Data showed that cervical swab-based screens were slightly more likely than the PCR urine assay to return positive test results. The two types of tests were roughly 70 percent concordant for detecting HPV variants with the strongest links to the development of cervical cancer.

"These data provide preliminary support for the proposal to use urine testing as a primary or secondary screening tool for cervical cancer in HIV-positive women or as an epidemiological tool," Brinkman and colleagues concluded.

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