New cervicovaginal epigenetic test enables rapid noninvasive screening for endometrial Cancer: Study

They validated the test in 562 cervicovaginal samples using three separate collection methods (cervical smear: n = 248; vaginal swab: n = 63; and self-collection: n = 251) and 4 distinct settings (case/control: n = 388; cohort of women presenting with postmenopausal bleeding: n = 63; a cohort of high-risk women with Lynch syndrome: n = 25; and a nested case/control setting from a screening cohort and samples taken up to 3 years before EC diagnosis: n = 86). Sensitivity, specificity, and estimated negative and positive predictive values (NPV/PPV) were used to assess test performance.

Key findings of the research:

• The test detected EC with sensitivities of 97.2%, 90.1%, and 100% respectively, in cervical, self-collected, and vaginal swab samples derived from symptomatic patients. The corresponding specificities were 75.8%, 86.7%, and 89.1%.
• 90.9% of EC cases were detected by the WID-qEC in samples taken up to a year before diagnosis.
• Performance on the test was comparable regardless of menopausal state, age, stage, grade, ethnicity, and histology.

"The WID-qEC may be a useful tool for managing women with atypical bleeding because it can be used in self-collected samples, especially where access to specialized care is limited. The best settings to use this test in for early detection and preventive screening will be determined by additional research", added the researchers.

The authors concluded that for screening and prioritizing women with symptoms suggestive of EC or those at risk of EC, the WID-qEC may be a user-friendly test. 

Reference:

DOI: 10.1200/JCO.22.00266 Journal of Clinical Oncology