Clinical performance assessment of the Papilloplex HR-HPV assay on self-taken urine and vaginal swab samples: findings from a multicentre European study
Cuschieri et al.
The finding, in our words
In a multicentre European study the Papilloplex HR-HPV assay showed similar clinical sensitivity for CIN2+ on self collected urine and vaginal swabs compared with clinician taken cervical samples, while clinical specificity was similar for urine but lower for vaginal swabs; cut off optimisation restored specificity for vaginal swabs without compromising sensitivity.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This meta-analysis found that HPV testing using self-collected vaginal and urine samples showed sensitivities of 88.6% and 81% for detecting cervical precancer. Using a standardised device for first-void urine increased sensitivity to 86.6%, supporting decentralised patient-centric screening, though data on specificity and specific commercial devices were not consistently reported.
Hsiao et al., The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research (paywalled) · source ↗
This meta-analysis found that self-collected urine samples for HPV testing had lower sensitivity for detecting high-grade lesions compared to physician-collected cervical specimens. The use of a first-void collection device such as Colli-Pee was associated with marginally higher sensitivity than general urine sampling.
Chen et al., Journal of lower genital tract disease (paywalled) · source ↗
Vaginal self-sampling achieved higher pooled sensitivity and specificity than urine self-sampling for detecting high-risk HPV, making it the preferred option, while urine self-sampling remains a useful non-invasive choice for under-screened populations.
For decentralised testing, a study found dry vaginal self-samples using Copan FLOQSwabs stored up to two weeks at room temperature maintain DNA quality. However, first-void urine collected with the Colli-Pee device may be less sensitive for HPV detection, showing lower positivity and higher cycle threshold values, median Ct 30 versus 27 for other samples.
Chu et al., BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · source ↗
Self-sampling for HPV testing using urine and swab devices achieved high DNA detection rates, 92.1-99.7%, and very high participant acceptance, 99.1%, in a primary care population, supporting decentralised screening in low-resource settings.