2023 · Journal of clinical microbiology · open access
Testing for Human Papillomaviruses in Urine, Blood, and Oral Specimens: an Update for the Laboratory
Poljak et al.
The finding, in our words
First-void urine is established as a reliable self-collected specimen for human papillomavirus screening, triage, and post-vaccination surveillance. The use of specialised collection devices and advanced molecular assays supports the integration of non-invasive sampling into routine cervical cancer prevention strategies.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This review summarises how emerging HPV detection methods including CRISPR/Cas systems, droplet digital PCR and isothermal amplification, combined with self-collected vaginal swabs and liquid biopsy from urine or blood, could improve screening acceptability and enable point-of-care testing compared with conventional approaches that require invasive sampling and centralised laboratory infrastructure.
Shi et al., Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · source ↗
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 ↗