Scientists from Austria, England and Sweden have developed a new test that detects precancerous changes in the cervix years before they turn into disease, that is, much earlier than the tests used until now.

This is a procedure that “works better than currently available methods and detects changes years before (cervical) cancer develops,” the University of Innsbruck (Austria) reported in a statement.

The new test has been developed under the direction of Martin Widschwendter, professor of cancer prevention and detection at the Austrian university, in collaboration with University College London and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

The results of the study have been published in the special journal “Genome Medicine”.

The note reminded that the control method applied to date is a cytological test that identifies abnormal cells in the cervix.

Depending on the type of cell change, other tests are then performed to take a closer look at the evolution or the altered cells are removed before they become invasive cancer.

On the other hand, the new test, called “WID-CIN” and based on genetic analysis, “detects precancerous lesions even when there are still no visible changes under the microscope and, therefore, will allow for more specific screening”, highlights the University Innsbruck.

“WID-CIN” examines cervical (uterine) cells for changes in genetic material known as DNA methylation, which are most likely influenced by environmental factors, where “these changes, called epigenetics, can increase the risk of suffering from certain diseases such as cancer.”

Researchers hope to use it not only to detect cervical cancer precursors, but also to predict the risk of other forms of cancer in the future.

“Our work has shown that in addition to detecting cervical precursors, WID-CIN testing of samples from the cervix can also provide information about a woman’s risk of three other types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and uterine,” Widschwendter stressed in the statement.

The study examined a sample of 1,254 women included in a cervical screening program in the Swedish region of Stockholm.

The test detected more than half of the women infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) who had not yet shown visible changes, but were at a precancerous stage that had clearly developed.