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The Endometrial Cancer Test
A Breakthrough test for Endometrial Cancer: Accurate, Rapid & Simple.
We are pleased to announce that the breakthrough womb cancer test, WID®-easy, is now available for our patients here at Clarendon Health.
WID®-easy is a rapid, accurate, and minimally invasive test for the early detection of womb cancer in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. A swab is taken from the vagina and cervix and sent to a lab for DNA analysis, after which a result will be returned to the clinic.
The high accuracy of the WID®-easy test helps to build a clearer picture of the risk of cancer and inform whether further investigations, such as hysteroscopy, are necessary.
How Does the WID®-easy test Work?
WID®-easy measures chemical modifications of your DNA from your cervix and womb, which indicates the presence or absence of cancer cells. The sample collection involves a quick and painless vaginal swab, which is then sent to a lab for analysis using PCR (like a Covid test).
Symptoms
Cancer at an early stage is rarely detected during routine examinations. However, the disease becomes apparent relatively early with sudden, abnormal bleeding. Post-menopausal bleeding, irregular bleeding and flesh-colored discharge are always suspicious and should be examined.
Abnormal uterine bleeding during or after menopause may be an indication of uterine cancer.
What is Uterine Cancer?
Uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. It predominantly affects women after menopause; only about five percent are younger than 40. Until menopause, the lining (endometrium) of the uterus renews itself every month. Periodically, the upper layers are shed and expelled with menstruation. Changes to the uterus lining in which individual cells turn into cancer cells are more common during and after menopause.
In Western countries, uterine cancer is twice as common as cervical cancer.
WID®-easy helps you make the most informed decision for the next steps in your care, and avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.
Every year in the UK, around 300,000 peri- and post-menopausal women experience abnormal uterine bleeding 2. These women are given an ultrasound scan to check for signs of cancer, which if found, will trigger further testing. These tests often involve highly invasive procedures, such as hysteroscopy and curettage (See below)
9 in 10 patients referred for these procedures do not have womb cancer. The WID®-easy test has been shown to detect the same number of women with cancer as ultrasound, while reducing the number of false positive results (“false alarms”) by a reported 90%.
(Figures from WID Easy)
Comparison of diagnostic methods
During hysteroscopy and curettage, the cervix is surgically dilated to allow instruments to be inserted into the uterine cavity.
With the WID®-easy test, on the other hand, a swab from the upper vaginal area is sufficient.
