New swab test could spare some women a painful biopsy for endometrial cancer

A simple vaginal swab may one day help women with abnormal bleeding learn whether they have endometrial cancer without first going through a painful biopsy.

The test, from California-based PinkDx, is being studied at 16 U.S. sites, The Washington Post reported. It’s meant for women who already have symptoms, such as bleeding after menopause.

Endometrial cancer starts in the lining of the uterus. Doctors often check for it with a transvaginal ultrasound, which uses a probe in the vagina to measure that lining. They may also do an endometrial biopsy, scraping out a small tissue sample through a thin tube passed into the uterus.

Both can be painful. Biopsies also fail to 

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