The most common age of onset of cervical cancer is 25 to 50 years, and approximately 2,800 women in the UK will develop cervical cancer each year. However, early stage cervical cancer has no obvious symptoms and many cases are only detected at a late stage, when it is difficult to cure. In the UK, 936 people died of cervical cancer last year and many women need surgery or chemotherapy for cervical cancer, which can even make them infertile. This self-help test is used to detect cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). If the researchers find the virus, they will recommend that the subjects be tested every other year or 18 months. Those who are not found to have the virus will only need to be tested once every six years. More importantly, the test can screen for pre-cancerous lesions in a way that cervical smears cannot. With this method, women can have their tumors surgically removed before they progress to cancer. Researchers at Queen Mary Hospital, University of London, who invented the technology known as primary HPV testing, estimate that the procedure could save the lives of at least 150 women each year. Professor Peter Sasieni, who carried out the study, said: “We are talking about the lives of young women who may be mothers of children, wives of husbands or daughters of parents, and we can’t afford the slightest delay when 1,500 people die every decade because of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening is already very effective, but our research shows that replacing it with primary HPV testing is even more effective. Not only does it prevent cancer, but it also keeps women who test negative from having to be tested as often.” The results of the study, published in the Journal of Medical Screening, were reported at the National Cancer Information Network conference in Brighton. The cohort study on the technology was launched last month and 100,000 women aged 25 to 64 will be included in the study next year, with the inclusion areas being Liverpool, North West London, Sheffield, Bristol and Norwich. The control group will be women who have undergone a pap smear. This new screening technique, if supported by further research, will benefit many younger women.