Home Test Kits Boost Screening for Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer can be easy to miss. It usually has no symptoms. But you can have a screening test for the virus that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. The tests detect human papilloma virus, or HPV. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent cervical cancer and related deaths.

Unfortunately, many women have never been screened or are behind in their screening. NIH-supported scientists tested to see if screening rates could be improved by at-home collection of samples. The study enrolled nearly 2,500 participants who were overdue for a screening.

One group received a phone call inviting them to get screened for cervical cancer at a clinic. Another group received a similar call, but were also sent kits to collect their own samples at home. The women could then mail them in for testing. The third group received a call, a kit, and a follow-up call to encourage them to return the kit.

More than 40% of those who received the at-home kits completed screening for cervical cancer. They were more than twice as likely to get screened as those who got only a phone reminder. The screening rate was even higher for those who received the mail-in kit and a follow-up call. The findings hint that ready access to at-home kits could reduce obstacles to screening for this often preventable cancer.

“These results show that self-collection testing could be a solution to increasing access to screening,” says study lead Dr. Jane Montealegre of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “This, in turn, could reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the U.S.”