A “game-changer” DIY cervical screening test that women can do at home could be rolled out on the NHS in a bid to reverse the decline in checks. The self-testing kit, which is quick and easy to use, could lead to around 400,000 more smear tests being carried out every year, with NHS leaders saying they are looking at making it available in England. Other countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Sweden have already introduced the self-testing kits.
Cervical screenings – or smear tests – work by detecting human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses which present no symptoms but which can lead to cervical cancer. About 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 per cent of all cervical cancers.
A trial of the DIY kits, known as the King’s College London YouScreen trial, is the biggest to date and shows how the numbers of women undergoing screening can be boosted. It asks women to take their own vaginal swab using a long cotton bud – either at home or at their GP practice. In the trial, women who took the test at home then simply posted off their kit for free to a laboratory.
The DIY element eliminates the need for a nurse or doctor to undertake the test, in the hope that women who currently miss their smear test appointments due to embarrassment or concerns about being treated by a male doctor or nurse will be more likely to get checked. Figures show cervical screening uptake is declining, with nearly a third of women in England – particu.