WHO recommends DNA testing as a first-choice screening method for cervical cancer prevention 11 September 2021.
DNA-based testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) has been shown to be more effective than today’s commonly used screening methods aimed at detecting and preventing cervical cancer, a major cause of death among women worldwide. The recently published “WHO guideline for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention” recommends the use of such DNA-based HPV testing as a first choice screening method.
In 2020, more than 600 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 342 000 women died from the disease. In the WHO European Region, 30 000 women die from cervical cancer every year.
“These deaths can be avoided. Thanks to screening, and notably using the new HPV DNA-based tests, cervical cancer can either be prevented or detected at early stages and cured. WHO has renewed its recommendations for screening and treatment of cervical cancer, making clear that HPV DNA-based tests are more efficient than cytology-based tests, especially for low- and middle-income countries, because they are less prone to quality problems,” said Dr Marilys Corbex, Senior Technical Officer on noncommunicable diseases, WHO/Europe.
Detecting the cancer-causing virus : Cervical cancer is caused by HPV, a very common group of viruses, which have no symptoms that are easy to detect, affecting the skin in the mouth, throat or genital area.
Just 2 high-risk HPV strains (16 and 18) cause more than 70% of cervical cancers, but can be treated if detected early enough. So, alongside nation-wide vaccination of girls against HPV, WHO recommends that countries ensure regular DNA-based testing for HPV to identify women who have or are at risk of cervical pre-cancer.
HPV DNA-based tests proved to be more effective in preventing cervical cancer than methods that are commonly used in the European Region today, based on cytology (commonly known as a “Pap smear”). The DNA-based testing is also less prone to human errors, unlike tests that rely on visual inspection. HPV-DNA testing is an objective diagnostic, leaving no space for interpretation of results.
