Southampton 'Diagnostic Tampon' Clinical Trial Could Help Detect Early Signs of Ovarian Cancer

Originally reported by ITV News (Meridian), Tuesday 24 February 2026.

A new clinical trial is underway in Southampton which hopes a diagnostic tampon could improve how quickly ovarian cancer is caught.

University Hospital Southampton is leading the study, where researchers will see if the sanitary product can help compare vaginal fluid with cancer cells to help spot the early signs of the disease. Currently there is no screening process for ovarian cancer, so doctors must rely on patients to come forward with symptoms — such as persistent bloating, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and feeling the need to urinate more often.

“At the moment, the focus of early detection is on blood based markers. And that puts the onus on the participant or the patient to go and find a health professional to do that blood test. You have to be registered with the GP surgery. You have to make time for that. There's a lot of women that are very busy these days with jobs and children and things. I wanted to figure out how we could make a screening test that could be done in your own home, that was community based and was accessible to all.”

Dr Jemma Longley, Consultant Medical Oncologist

How the VIOLET study works

The VIOLET study involves taking samples of vaginal fluid from women who are undergoing surgery for suspected or confirmed ovarian cancer. The samples are then compared with those from healthy volunteers. The team will look for changes to biomarkers called microRNAs — tiny biological signals that are present in both the ovarian cancer cells and the vaginal fluid.

Patients consenting to being in the trial will be given a diagnostic tampon pack containing two tampons. They will be asked to insert the tampon between 20 minutes and eight hours in the 24 hours prior to their surgery. On the day of their surgery, they'll bring it back to the researchers, who will carry out a vaginal swab, a blood test, and a urine test, and collect any tissue left over after the operation.

“Symptoms of ovarian cancer can often crossover with other conditions. If we have these biomarkers of the early stages of cancer, that means that when patients are presenting potentially with vague symptoms like a bit of abdominal pain, some weight loss, then these biomarkers could be used to figure out whether or not that patient actually does have cancer.”

Dr Victoria Goss, Associate Professor of Early Diagnosis, Southampton Clinical Trials Unit

According to Cancer Research UK, on average 21 women a day are diagnosed with ovarian cancer — yet only around a quarter of cases are caught in the early stages.

The study is welcomed by Dr Alison Farmer, a psycho-oncology nurse who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 40 and underwent surgery to remove her ovaries followed by chemotherapy.

“I was lucky enough to see a great team at the Princess Anne Hospital and luckily my ovarian cancer was caught early, which is quite unusual. There haven't been that many advances in ovarian cancer detection or treatment over the years, and sadly a significant number of women are still dying despite some new drugs. So I think anything like this, which is a reasonably easy study to do and take part in, is really exciting.”

Dr Alison Farmer, Psycho-Oncology Nurse

A potential game-changer beyond ovarian cancer

If the results of the study prove promising, it could lead the way in diagnosing other cancers.

“This could be a massive game changer for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and also other cancers of the gynaecological tract. We could open this up to different cancers — cervical cancers and endometrial cancers — and potentially create a multi-cancer early detection test with a diagnostic tampon.”

Dr Jemma Longley, Consultant Medical Oncologist

The team is currently recruiting patients at University Hospital Southampton and will look to recruit from further afield during the five-year study. The study is funded by a grant from The Eve Appeal, with support from the Southampton Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre and Fern Capital portfolio company Daye.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

• Feeling bloated most days for three weeks
• Feeling full quickly or loss of appetite
• Pelvic or stomach pain
• Needing to urinate urgently or more frequently
• Changes in bowel habit
• Extreme fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Source: NHS Choices.