HPV test eases cancer fears

Trevor Tang

A Hong Kong biometrics company has developed a world-first test product for HPV - which can cause 95 percent of cervical cancers - that uses urine.

The test kit was put on sale Thursday at a price of HK$1,280.

The product, launched by local brand Indicaid under Phase Scientific, guarantees users a thorough report on 27 types of HPVs within five working days upon receiving the self-collected sample.

Previously, cervical and penile swabs formed the dominant HPV testing methods for women and men and required doctors' involvement, causing embarrassment and discomfort.

This hinders many people from getting tested, especially men, who might not suffer from cervical cancers yet might transfer HPV to their female partners.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, infections do not pose an immediate hazard for women, but with an incubation period of five to 20 years, the virus can lead to serious cervical cancers.

The World Health Organization recommends HPV tests as the preferred method for cervical screening in its new guideline published in 2021, which aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.

However, according the Department of Health, nearly half of women here do not have cervical cancer screening, with the number jumping to 70 percent among those aged 25 to 34, while authorities suggest 30-to-64-year-old women undergo testing every five years.

"Our new process is painless, convenient, private, and non-invasive, making HPV testing more accessible for both men and women," said Phase Scientific chairman and CEO Ricky Chiu Yin-to.

"We have now reached 98.1 percent accuracy compared with swab tests, and can detect 14 high-risk HPVs and 13 low-risk HPVs," Chiu added.

The product was made possible by a technology Chiu developed called Phasify. It enables labs to concentrate and purify target analytes, which are lower in urine than other bodily fluid samples.

It also allows early prevention of cancers such as of the bladder and prostate.

"We will roll out new products testing other cancers by urine samples in the following one or two years," Chiu said.

Consumers can order the product on Indicaid's website. They can drop the sample at designated sites or have it picked up door to door.

Although now only available here, Shenzhen and the United States will have the service within one year.

The firm expects sales to exceed 10,000 in the first year.