Menstrual blood test could offer alternative to cervical screening for cancer | Cervical cancer

An innovative menstrual blood test to detect signs of cervical cancer could be a practical, non-invasive and accurate way to screen for the disease, researchers said.

A regular sanitary napkin topped with a blood sample strip can detect the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and could be used by women at home, study results show.

Currently, most women undergo cervical screening under the supervision of a clinician, who collects a sample using a brush inserted into the vagina. But millions of women invited to screening do not attend.

Chinese researchers compared the diagnostic accuracy of menstrual blood with samples taken by a clinician to detect cervical cell abnormalities (CIN2 and CIN3), which may require treatment.

Their findings, published in the medical journal BMJ, were based on 3,068 women, aged 20 to 54, with regular menstrual cycles, who were enrolled in Hubei, China, between 2021 and 2025.

Each provided three samples for testing: a menstrual blood sample collected using a sanitary napkin and sanitary strip, a cervical sample collected by a clinician, and an additional sample collected by a health worker for laboratory processing.

Researchers evaluated the test’s sensitivity, which indicates how well it detects people with a disease, as well as specificity, which detects those who do not have the disease.

Samples collected from the electrodes showed a sensitivity of 94.7% for detection of CIN2, which was comparable to samples collected by clinicians (92.1%).

Although the test performed less well in terms of specificity, the likelihood that a person with a negative test result actually did not have the disease was identical for both collection methods. Referrals for further testing were also comparable.

“The results of this large-scale community study show the utility of using minipad-collected menstrual blood for HPV testing as a standardized, non-invasive alternative or replacement for cervical cancer screening,” the study authors said.

Sophie Brooks, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said it was encouraging to see research exploring new ways to make cervical cancer screening more accessible. “Testing menstrual blood for HPV is an interesting, non-invasive approach, and could potentially offer another option in the future.”

But it was still in its early stages, she added, and trials involving larger, more diverse groups would be needed to understand how well it worked for different people and whether it could fit into existing screening pathways.

Xavier Bosch, a distinguished researcher at the Catalan Institute of Oncology, who was not involved in the study, said the work was “very pioneering” but was still in the research phase. “At the moment, its clinical applications are unclear. »

Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of gynecological cancer charity Eve Appeal, welcomed the findings. “It’s exciting to see new, more acceptable and potentially gentler ways to offer what could be a life-saving test to prevent the development of cervical cancer.”

However, she added, the ability to test for HPV in menstrual blood would not work for everyone, including, for example, postmenopausal women.

“People have different barriers and concerns about screening, so being able to offer a choice of different methods could be very positive for some people who are eligible for screening but are not currently participating,” she said.