Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of urine-sample HPV (human papillomavirus) testing on the effectiveness of screening for cervical cancer.
Methods: The analysis was based on the results of a systematic review. Secondary studies were searched in the following medical databases: Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. The results of the statistical tests presented in the article originate from research conducted by the authors of the included articles.
Results: From a total of 1869 citations, 5 studies were included in this review. Sensitivity and specificity for the detection of any HPV from first-void urine samples were 87% [95% CI: (0.74; 0.94)] and 89% [95% CI: (0.81; 0.93)], respectively. Moreover, participants in the analyzed studies had indicated that they felt comfortable with urine testing.
Conclusions: The development of methods to detect HPV infection in first-void urine samples and the application of this sampling method in widely available screening tests could significantly increase patients' willingness to participate in testing.
Keywords: HPV; HPV testing; cervical cancer; human papillomavirus; prevention; urine sample.