London: A groundbreaking swab test could spare hundreds of thousands of UK women from undergoing invasive procedures to detect womb cancer.
Each year, approximately 800,000 women visit their GP due to abnormal uterine bleeding, often leading to stressful and painful diagnostic tests.
Currently, most postmenopausal women with significant bleeding undergo a transvaginal ultrasound, which measures the womb lining thickness. Many then require a hysteroscopy and biopsy to confirm or rule out cancer.
However, the newly developed WID-easy test, created by Professor Martin Widschwendter from University College London’s EGA Institute for Women’s Health and the University of Innsbruck, offers a non-invasive alternative.
Widschwendter said that, “The WID-easy test is the first of its kind in the UK, using a simple swab method to detect womb cancer.” The test involves taking a vaginal swab, which is then analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to assess DNA methylation—chemical tags on the DNA that indicate the presence of cancer cells.
The test, as accurate as an ultrasound, reduces false positives by 87%. It has been registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval and is already in use at private medical clinics in the UK, Austria, and Switzerland.
If adopted by the NHS, the WID-easy test could lead to quicker diagnoses and less distress for patients. Athena Lamnisos, CEO of the gynaecological cancer charity Eve Appeal, emphasized the benefits of this easier, less invasive method.
“Currently, tests for womb cancer in the UK can be stressful and uncomfortable,” Athena noted. The test has also shown greater accuracy than ultrasound in diagnosing womb cancer in Black women.
Three-quarters of womb cancer cases occur in women over 55, with risk factors including obesity, a diet high in processed foods, oestrogen-only HRT, late menopause, and not having children.
Helen Hyndman, a senior nurse at the Eve Appeal, emphasized the anxiety women face while awaiting test results. Helen stated that the WID-easy test could accelerate diagnoses, offering relief by reducing stress, waiting times, and pain.
Hyndman urged the NHS to adopt the test, highlighting its potential to ease the burden on healthcare services by minimizing the need for additional procedures such as hysteroscopies and biopsies.
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