The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has endorsed self-testing as a viable option for cervical cancer screening in an effort to make testing more accessible and reduce cancer rates nationwide.
What Is the Health Panel Saying?
The health panel's draft recommendations that were unveiled on Tuesday encourage women to consider taking their own samples to test for HPV, the virus responsible for most cervical cancers.
Under the proposed recommendations, women in their 20s should continue with a Pap test every three years. However, from ages 30 to 65, the recommendations allow for HPV testing every five years with the flexibility of self-collected samples taken in medical or mobile clinic settings.
Alternatively, women can stick with a doctor-administered Pap test every three years or opt for a combined Pap and HPV test every five years.
Dr. John Wong, vice chair of the task force and a physician at Tufts University School of Medicine, expressed optimism about the impact of self-collection.
"I'm very hopeful that self-collection will help even more women get screened and help us reduce even further the burden of cervical cancer among women," he said, according to The Associated Press.
The health panel's recommendation comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently expanded the use of two HPV test kits to include self-sampling, citing studies showing comparable accuracy between self-collected and doctor-collected samples.
To collect a sample, a swab or brush from the kit is inserted into the vagina and rotated. It is then put in a tube and processed at a lab.
For many women, transgender men and nonbinary individuals, the option to self-collect samples could alleviate discomfort associated with traditional methods involving a speculum.
While these tests are currently limited to healthcare settings, the prospect of at-home testing could be on the horizon.
Countries like Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands have already adopted self-collection as part of their cervical cancer screening protocols.
Cervical Cancer Cases
HPV, a very common virus that is spread through sex, often clears on its own but can lead to cervical cancer in persistent cases. While the HPV tests detect high-risk types of the virus, a Pap test looks for abnormal cells in the cervix.
Despite advancements in screening and vaccination efforts, nearly 14,000 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S. in an estimated 4,360 deaths.
In addition, disparities persist, as Black, Hispanic, Native American women and those in isolated areas face higher death rates from the disease.
The task force's recommendations remain consistent with its 2018 guidance, including no screening for women under 21, those over 65 with a history of normal screenings, or individuals who have undergone a total hysterectomy. The proposed recommendations are open for public comment until January 13.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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