The Acceptability of Self-Collected Samples for HPV Testing vs. the Pap Test as Alternatives in Cervical Cancer Screening

Abstract

Self-sampling is more acceptable than the Pap test and could improve coverage rates of early detection programs. The incorporation of self-collected samples to detect HPV could encourage participation in screening programs among those women who reject the Pap test because of the necessary pelvic examination.

Human papillomavirus testing by self-sampling: assessment of accuracy in an unsupervised clinical setting

“…There is no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity between cytology and either of the two HPV tests. The specificity of cytology is significantly higher than the specificity of the self HPV test (14% higher, 95% CI of [12][13][14][15][16][17] and clinician HPV test (12%, 95% CI of [9][10][11][12][13][14]. The NPVs of cytology and the HPV tests are similar, but the PPV of cytology is higher than the PPV for the HPV tests and the CIs do not overlap.…”

Cervical cancer, a disease of poverty: mortality differences between urban and rural areas in Mexico

“…Also, the existence of a self-collected vaginal specimen (the sample is collected by the woman herself, using a swab) for HPV testing means it would be possible to screen women who do not or cannot use health services provided in traditional (clinic or hospital-based) settings, as well as possibly being more acceptable to women, and therefore this option should be evaluated in rural areas (as well as other marginalized populations, especially those living in poverty). 31 Future studies and prediction models are necessary to evaluate the usefulness and the cost-effectiveness of HPV test as a screening strategy and how it could be used in conjunction with other diagnosis methodologies.…”

Determinants of women¿s likelihood of vaginal self-sampling for human papillomavirus to screen for cervical cancer in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study

“…In addition, two prerequisites for making an informed decision about HPV vaccination are awareness of HPV (having heard of HPV) and knowledge of HPV [16]. The uptake of cervical screening services was influenced by knowledge of cervical cancer [17,18], previous Pap testing [11], educational level [3,11], and household income l [19], but was not associated with marital status [20]. Furthermore, barriers to Pap testing such as the issues of time [20,21], cost [5,18], and clinical site [21] might be barriers to women's likelihood of self-sampling for HPV.…”