HPV detection via menstrual pad ‘shows promise’ in study

SAN DIEGO — Passively self-collected menstrual blood for the detection of HPV showed results that were highly concordant with clinician-collected sampling and had greater acceptance among patients, researchers reported here.

In this case, passive menstrual blood collection was done using Q-Pads (Qvin), which are menstrual pads with a removable collection strip that works as a dried blood spot test. According to the Qvin website, the Q-pad also collects blood to show information regarding hormones, vitamins and the risk for diabetes.

“In terms of this study focusing on screening for high-risk HPV (HR-HPV), we felt that if we are going to eliminate cervical cancer globally, then we need better access to screening modalities that are convenient, comfortable, cost-effective and require relatively little initiative on the part of the patient,” Paul D. Blumenthal, MD, professor emeritus of OB/GYN and director of the Stanford Program for International Reproductive Education and Services at Stanford University in California, told Healio. “Passively collecting menstrual blood via the Q-Pad could meet a lot of these criteria, and in this preliminary report, it appears to be the case.

“We also feel that if menstrual blood were shown to be a useful clinical tool and not merely a waste product, it could help reduce the burden of menstrual stigma — which is a challenge for women globally — and help them recognize that their monthly ‘curse’ is actually a valuable health resource,” he added.

Among 153 participants who presented for cervical cancer screening or who had a history of HPV, Blumenthal and colleagues included 107 who had a clinician-collected cervical specimen and who provided a Q-Pad sample after use during their next menses.

“We were pleasantly surprised that the correlation between the clinician-collected swabs and the Q-Pad finding among those who were HR-HPV positive was as high as it was (94%), especially since this was the first time that a dried blood spot derived from menstrual blood had been used for this purpose,” Blumenthal said.

Of note, 12% of patients who tested positive for HR-HPV with Q-Pad samples had negative clinician-collected samples.

Overall, 94% of patients recommended providing a Q-Pad sample over clinician-collected samples. Additionally, 30% of patients refused to provide a self-collected swab for testing, citing discomfort.

“Screening for HR-HPV using menstrual blood — and specifically the Q-Pad as a collection vehicle — is both feasible from a technical and accuracy perspective, and also highly acceptable to women,” Blumenthal said. “It shows promise as a screening approach that might be scalable.”

References:

• Blumenthal PD, et al. Abstract 91. Presented at: ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting; May 6-8, 2022; San Diego.
• Qvin. https://qvin.com/en/. Accessed May 7, 2022.