Background
For women and patients who experience post-menopausal bleeding, about 3 out of 100 will be diagnosed with endometrial (womb lining) cancer. Traditionally patients have had to go through a series of tests and procedures to determine if a cancer is present. The WID-Easy test has been developed as an alternative approach to quickly and accurately assess whether you are at low or high risk of endometrial cancer at the moment.
The test, which requires a swab to be taken from the vagina, takes a few days to be processed and has been shown to be a very effective way of determining whether you will need any further investigations.
What happens if I am asked to have the test?
Currently in Leeds, if you are referred to the gynaecology department with a history of bleeding after menopause, you will be seen in a special clinic.
In this clinic we will listen to your history, answer any questions you may have and offer a vaginal examination to perform the WID-Easy test as well as looking for other visible causes of bleeding.
The examination to perform the WID-Easy test is a speculum examination, rather like going to have a cervical smear test.
It takes only a few seconds to perform the test using a small swab, which should not cause any discomfort. A chaperone will be present, and you can pause or stop the examination at any time.
After the swab has been taken, it is placed in a secure vial and transported to the laboratory for testing.
Next we will check your contact details are correct. After this you can go home and we will contact you as soon as we have received the test results.
What happens after the test?
We would typically expect to receive the results of the WID-Easy test within five days. A member of the team will contact you with your results by phone. Results of the WID-Easy test are either positive, negative or inconclusive.
If you have a positive WID-Easy result, we will recommend additional investigations including a test called hysteroscopy to look at the womb lining in more detail. This will be arranged as soon as possible after we contact you.
There is a leaflet called ‘Having a Hysteroscopy’ (LN001065).
Having a positive WID-Easy test result does not necessarily mean that you have a cancer, but it does mean there is a higher risk and so your bleeding will need further investigation to determine its cause.
If you have a negative WID-Easy test, this means you have a very low risk of cancer in the womb-lining. We will call you to let you know and send you a letter and further patient information. You should get in touch with us if you have any further bleeding in the six months following your test. After this time, please contact your GP if you have any bleeding and we can see you again as needed.
In the unlikely event that your test result is inconclusive, we will contact you and ask you to come back to hospital for a repeat WID-Easy swab and an ultrasound scan of the pelvis. The results of these tests will help to determine if you need any further investigations, and we will agree with you at the time how you would like to receive the results.
Following your test we may contact you with an optional survey about your experience of having the WID-Easy test. Your views and experiences are an important part of developing our service. Thank you in advance for participating.
Informed consent
This leaflet is provided to supplement verbal information that will be given to you by your healthcare provider (Doctor/ Surgeon/Nurse) as part of the consent process prior to your procedure. Information sharing between you and the clinician is essential to ensure that your decision to consent is fully informed.
Please ask questions if you don’t fully understand or have any concerns about what is proposed. You have a right to be involved in these decisions and should feel supported to do so. Please take the time to consider what is important to you to ensure the information you receive is specific and individualised.