No abstract

Young age, low educational level, high number of sexual partners, failure to use condoms, and high-risk HPV positivity are associated with increased risk for incident CT infection. These findings may guide the development of targeted CT prevention strategies, including screening and information campaigns.

Serum gastrin-releasing peptide levels correlate with pruritus in patients with atopic dermatitis.

The Copenhagen Self-Sampling Initiative (CSi) has shown how human papillomavirus (HPV)-based self-sampling can be used to increase screening participation among 23,632 nonattenders in the Capital Region of Denmark. In this study, we describe HPV prevalence and genotype frequency in 4,824 self-samples as determined by three HPV assays (the CLART, Onclarity, and Hybrid Capture 2 [HC2] assays) and compare the results with those for physician-taken follow-up samples. The HPV self-sample findings were also compared to the findings for a reference population of 3,347 routinely screened women from the Horizon study, which had been undertaken in the same screening laboratory. Nonattenders had an HPV prevalence of 11.3% as determined by the CLART assay, which was lower than that for women from the Horizon study (18.5%). One-third of the CSi women who tested HPV positive by self-sampling tested HPV negative on the physician-taken follow-up sample. The CLART and Onclarity assays agreed on 64% (95% confidence interval [CI], 60 to 68%) of the HPV-positive self-taken samples. When the HC2 assay results were added into a three-way comparison, the level of agreement decreased to 27% (95% CI, 24 to 29%). Our findings suggest that further validation of HPV assays on self-taken samples is needed for optimal HPV detection and correct clinical management of HPV-positive women.

Offering human papillomavirus-based self-sampling to nonparticipants in routine cervical cancer screening can increase screening participation. However, little is known about characteristics of women who accept self-sampling. In this population-based study, we investigated determinants for participation in self-sampling among Danish nonattenders to routine cervical cancer screening. During 2014 to 2015, a random sample of screening nonparticipants ages 27 to 65 years living in the Capital Region of Denmark were invited for self-sampling. Of 21,314 eligible women, 4,743 participated in self-sampling. Information on sociodemographic characteristics and mental and physical health of all the women was obtained from nationwide registries, and 3,707 women completed a questionnaire on lifestyle, sexual behavior, and reasons for nonparticipation in routine screening. We used logistic regression to estimate ORs for participation in self-sampling, crude, and adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Basic education [OR = 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72-0.88], low income (OR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.59-0.73), origin from a nonwestern country (OR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.38-0.48), and being unmarried (OR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.61-0.72) were associated with lower self-sampling participation. Long-term unscreened women (OR = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.45-0.53), women with prior schizophrenia or other psychoses (OR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.48-0.80), women with poor self-perceived health (OR = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.25-0.69), and women who perceived screening as unnecessary (OR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.37-0.80) or irrelevant (OR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.78-0.96) were less likely to self-sample. Certain population groups, including women with low socioeconomic position or of nonwestern origin, were less likely to participate in self-sampling. Targeted approaches may be needed to increase screening participation in these groups.