A more precise cervical cancer test which detects cell changes that could require treatment has been developed by scientists - and could play a role in detecting other forms of the disease in women. Academics have said that such advancements "offer real potential" for increased cancer prevention in the future.
Described as more accurate, the test could eventually serve as a means to indicate breast, womb and ovarian cancer as well as cervical - as it can also pick up DNA markers for some other cancers. In testing for cervical cancer to detect advanced cell changes which require treatment, the test performed better than other methods currently available.
For those without cell changes, but who had human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes most cases of cervical cancer, it detected 55 per cent of people who would have cell changes in the next four years.
