Urine HPV test could prove alternative to conventional smear

A simple urine test for human papillomavirus (HPV) could offer a more acceptable, non-invasive alternative to the conventional cervical test and improve screening uptake, according to new research published on thebmj.com. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Up to 80 per cent of sexually active women are infected at some point in their lives and infection with specific ‘high risk’ strains of the virus has an established link to cervical cancer. Current screening by cervical cytology is invasive and time-consuming and in recent years cervical screening in the UK has fallen below 80 per cent, particularly amongst…