Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with approximately 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths worldwide in 2022 alone. Almost all cases are linked to high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Current screening methods involve detecting HPV DNA, but emerging research suggests that measuring the cancer-causing activity of HPV, may provide a more accurate assessment of cancer risk.
Can a new, super-sensitive test accurately measure proteins linked to HPV in urine to help detect cervical cancer? A group of researchers led by Professor Etsuro Ito from the Department of Biology, Waseda University, Japan, along with Professor Toshiyuki Sasagawa from Kanazawa Medical University, Japan, and Dr. Martin Müller from the German Cancer Research Center, Germany investigated to develop an ultrasensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect high-risk HPV16 E7 oncoproteins in urine. Their findings were published in Microorganisms journal on 14 June 2024.
Ito explains, " Cancer can be prevented by vaccination before it develops and by regular screening. But screening is a big hurdle for young women. " He further adds, " Our new urine test can detect HPV16 E7 proteins, which are critical markers of cervical cancer risk, at extremely low levels.
This means that women may be able to screen for cervical cancer without the discomfort and inconvenience of a traditional Pap test." Current screening methods for cervical cancer typically involve a Pap smear .
