MILLIONS of women could be offered a "game-changer" DIY cervical screening test via the NHS that can be done at home for free. The self-testing kit - which is quick and easy to use - could lead to around 400,000 more cancer checks every year, with NHS leaders saying they're looking to make it available in England . It works by detecting human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses that tend to cause no symptoms but can lead to the development of cervical cancer.
About 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 per cent of all cervical cancers. A new trial, known as the King's College London YouScreen trial, is the biggest to date and shows how the DIY kit can boost the numbers of women getting screened.
Figures show that cervical screening uptake is declining, with nearly a third of women in England - particularly younger women - not taking up their most recent test. Experts say women may refuse testing due to a lack of convenient appointments, embarrassment and worries about the test causing pain. In the new trial, women used a vaginal swab - like a long cotton bud - to take their sample either at home or in their GP practice.
Those who took the test at home then simply posted off their kit for free to a laboratory. The trial results suggest over a million more women could undergo screening over three years in England - about 400,000 more every year - if the DIY tests were rolled out. Lead investigator Dr Anita Lim, from King's College London, said: "Self-sampling h.