The Cambridge study is based around a disc technique that helps minimise discomfort and reduces the risk of infection. 

Cancer Research has awarded £457,000 to support a study in Cambridge that could play a role in reducing inequalities in the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

John Doorbar, professor of viral pathogenesis at the department of pathology, has designed a method that involves lifting the top few layers of cells from the cervix onto a small disc, a 2.5 cm piece of absorbent paper.

The disc technique helps minimise discomfort and reduces the risk of infection, which could encourage more women to participate in screening – especially those who have previously avoided appointments due to pain.

“During a previous iteration of the study comparing the standard cervical screening process to this new method, some patients reported that scraping cells off the cervix, as done currently, could be a little bit uncomfortable, whereas we found that a lot of people could not feel the disc being applied to the cervix unless we told them it had been applied,” said Rutendo Nyagumbo, clinical trials practitioner for the Cervical Cell Lifts Study. She added that the majority of patients also reported this new method as better and less painful in comparison to conventional cervical screening.

Trialling at Addenbrooke’s Hospital

The government has said that women in England who haven’t come forward for vital health checks will be offered home-testing kits as part of the cervical screening programme under the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan, and Cancer Research believes that the new research is an important step forward to help prevent more cases of cervical cancer. 

Researchers are trialling the disc over the next two years at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and have already detected abnormal cells in 500 people. If the research is successful, the test could be rolled out across GP surgeries when initial samples are taken during cervical screening.

“This is a promising step toward a future where cervical cancer is not only preventable but also detected and treated earlier and more comfortably,” said Doorbar. 

“This approach allows us to examine cervical cells in their natural organisation, which may improve our ability to detect high-risk and low-risk precursor lesions. It could significantly enhance how we triage abnormal results from HPV testing and collecting cells in a liquid preservative,” he continued.