The Selfie Study- Assessing Novel Markers for Cervical Cancer Screening From Self-collected Samples (SELFIE)

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by Human Papillomaviruses (HPV). Testing for HPV in cervical samples is now an option for cervical cancer screening. HPV can also be tested from self-collected samples which may help to improve access to screening, since it does not require a doctor visit. However, many women will test positive for HPV who are not at high risk for cervical cancer. Therefore, additional ("triage") tests are needed to determine which women testing HPV-positive require additional clinical workup. For self sampling, a triage test that could be measured from the same initial sample without requiring a follow-up visit to the doctor would be an ideal strategy. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new HPV test that measures changes in HPV DNA can be used to triage HPV-positive women using self collected samples. This study will enroll 1,000 women who are undergoing cervical cancer screening at the George Washington University. Women will be asked to take a self-collected sample prior to their clinic visit. The investigators will evaluate the clinical accuracy of the new HPV triage test in self-collected samples and compare the accuracy of the test in samples collected by the clinician.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cervical Cancer; Human Papilloma Virus; CIN 2/3
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Evalyn Brush

Detailed Description

Worldwide, cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer and fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women, with the greatest burden occurring in low-resource settings that lack effective screening and treatment. Even in the United States (U.S.), where Pap cytology screening has resulted in dramatic declines in cervical cancer incidence and mortality, thousands of new cases and related-deaths still occur every year, most commonly among underserved women who face barriers to accessing screening and/or treatment. The recent implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing as a primary strategy for cervical cancer screening has the potential to alleviate these disparities by improving the sensitivity for cervical precancer detection compared to Pap cytology, while providing greater long term reassurance following a negative HPV test. Moreover, HPV testing can be successfully performed on self-collected specimens, offering the possibility of expanding access to cervical cancer screening among hard-to-reach, underserved women.

Despite the many advantages of primary HPV screening, the current challenge is optimizing triage testing to determine who among the many women testing HPV positive are at high-risk and require immediate colposcopy referral or treatment, while avoiding unnecessary harms among women at low-risk. A molecular triage test that can be conducted from the same primary screening sample (i.e., reflex testing) is particularly attractive for both high-and low-resource settings, particularly if it works from self-collected samples. Previously, DNA methylation of candidate host cell genes has been evaluated in self-collected samples and achieved acceptable performance for triage of HPV-positive women. In studies using clinician collected samples, there is a suggestion that methylation of carcinogenic HPV genotypes has better clinical performance (higher sensitivity/specificity) compared to host gene methylation; however, HPV methylation has not been evaluated in self-collected specimens. Because HPV DNA is present in only a small subset of infected cells in the lower genital tract, particularly in cervical precancers, it is likely that the signal-to noise ratio in self-collected samples is better for HPV compared to host gene methylation, resulting in improved specificity for cervical precancer detection. Evaluating the feasibility of HPV DNA methylation testing from self-collected samples is essential for determining the extent to which this assay can address the critical need for HPV triage in high- and low resource settings. In collaboration with the Cancer Genome Research Laboratory, a high-throughput, low-cost next-generation bisulfite sequencing assay that detects methylation of the 12 most carcinogenic HPV genotypes has been developed. Further, this assay includes a panel of host genes, including those that have been previously evaluated in self-collected specimens. The proposal is to test this assay in paired self and clinician-collected samples from 1,000 women enrolled in an ongoing prospective study of women undergoing cervical cancer screening and colposcopy at the George Washington University (GWU). The hypothesis is that HPV and host DNA methylation will show non-inferior sensitivity and specificity for detection of cervical precancer in self-collected compared to clinician-collected samples and that HPV methylation will have higher absolute specificity compared to host methylation in both sample types.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1000

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nicole Chappell, MD; Phone Number: 202 741 2434; Email: nChappell@mfa.gwu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20037
      • Recruiting
      • Medical Faculty Associates
      • Contact: Radwa Aly; Email: raly@mfa.gwu.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Nicole Chappell, M.D.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 years to 69 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Women undergoing routine screening with Pap cytology and HPV testing or colposcopy at the George Washington University (GWU). From this population, a representative subset of 1000 women for self-sampling and methylation testing (400 cases and 600 controls). Most controls will come from the screening population, where we expect 85% to have negative HPV and cytology results. The majority of cases will come from the colposcopy referral population. Cases of cervical precancer will include women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial grades 2 or 3 (CIN2/3) or adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). If any women are diagnosed with cancer in the study, they will be included in the case group (CIN2+); however, we will also perform sensitivity analyses excluding these women. Non-cases will include those with less than CIN2 on colposcopy/biopsy and women who did not have an indication for colposcopy (because of negative screening).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Age 30-69
• Undergoing cervical cancer screening, diagnostic procedure (colposcopy), or treatment (LEEP)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• History of Cervical Cancer
• Prior hysterectomy
• Inability to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
CIN2+; Cases of cervical precancer will include women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial grades 2 or 3 (CIN2/3) or adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). If any women are diagnosed with cancer in the study, they will be included in this group.	Device: Evalyn Brush; a standard brush-based cervicovaginal self-collection device
< CIN2; Non-cases will include those with <CIN2 on colposcopy/biopsy and women who did not have an indication for colposcopy (because of a negative screening test).	Device: Evalyn Brush; a standard brush-based cervicovaginal self-collection device

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Evaluating the relative sensitivity and specificity of HPV methylation testing from collected samples	Evaluate the relative sensitivity and specificity of HPV methylation testing from self-collected compared to clinician-collected samples for detection of cervical precancer.	Up to 24 months
Evaluating the relative sensitivity and specificity of host gene methylation testing from collected samples	Evaluate the relative sensitivity and specificity of host gene methylation testing from self-collected compared to clinician-collected samples for detection of cervical precancer.	Up to 24 months
Comparing the absolute sensitivity and specificity of HPV versus host gene methylation testing	Compare the absolute sensitivity and specificity of HPV versus host gene methylation testing for the detection of cervical pre-cancer in both self-collected and clinician-collected samples	Up to 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: George Washington University
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 15, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 18, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 8, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): June 9, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 25, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 23, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Uterine Neoplasms; Genital Neoplasms, Female; Uterine Cervical Diseases; Uterine Diseases; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Genital Diseases, Female; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Papilloma
• Other Study ID Numbers: NCR191015

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No