Cervical cancer self-tests helping to break down barriers and increase screening rates
ABCThe test takes about two minutes, which I spend lying on my back with my legs prised open. "We know there's an equity issue in our cervical screening program," said Dr Saville, executive director of the VCS Foundation, a cervical screening not-for-profit. An Australian trial found that under-screened women are more likely to take part in cervical cancer screening if they are offered self-collection, rather than a reminder letter to have a practitioner-collected test. The introduction of the self-collection process was part of broader changes to Australia's national screening program in 2017, when the type of test done on women's cervical cells — whether collected by a GP or by women themselves — was updated. Using self-collected HPV tests, a team led by Dr Saville recently partnered with the University of Malaysia to pilot a cervical screening program in Malaysia, where only 25 per cent of eligible women participate in pap smear tests.
History of this topic
US health panel adds self-testing option for cervical cancer screening
Associated Press
Cervical cancer self-test kits will automatically be sent to all women turning 30
NL Times
How enduring use of 150-year-old speculum puts women off smear tests
The IndependentDiscover Related
