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A simple swab will soon replace the traditional, dangerous Pap smear test for cervical cancer
Starting this fall, women in the US will be able to use a simple swab to screen for cervical cancer in a straightforward way, said to be an alternative to the Pap smear test that many fear. Some healthcare companies are preparing to launch self-collection options, helping patients avoid uncomfortable interfaces with healthcare professionals. A New York Times report says that labs will be able to test samples from the vaginal walls instead of the cervix, which has been a key change in making self-collection options possible. Read on to learn more.
Women around the world have repeatedly expressed discomfort with Pap smears — also known as Pap tests or Papanicolaou tests
Later this year, a new procedure for screening for deadly cervical cancer will be available to women in the United States, simplifying screening that traditionally involves a dreaded Pap smear test.
According to doctors, the usual procedure involves inserting an instrument called a speculum – which opens the vaginal canal so that a swab can be inserted and brushed over the cervix to collect a cell sample. For the procedure, women should lie on their backs and place their feet in stirrups so that their legs are spread apart.
Women around the world have repeatedly expressed discomfort over having a Pap smear — also called the Pap test or Papanicolaou test, a test for cervical cancer that examines cells in the cervix and surrounding area for changes caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV can lead to cervical cancer if left untreated, and a Pap smear can also help identify precancerous cells, infection and inflammation.
Self-collected swab testing options to be available soon
However, some healthcare companies are preparing to introduce self-collection options, which will help patients avoid uncomfortable interfaces with healthcare professionals. A New York Times report states that laboratories will be able to test samples from the vaginal walls instead of the cervix, which has been a significant change in making self-collection options possible.
How does this technology work?
This self-collection technology would be a first for the United States; countries such as Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden have gradually introduced self-sampling for cervical cancer screening in recent years, with great success.
According to experts, the method has been researched for at least 20 years, and is thought to be as effective as the traditional Pap test in preventing cervical cancer for women age 25 and older.
Earlier in the summer, the Food and Drug Administration approved self-collection devices from the pharmaceutical companies Roche and BD (Beckton, Dickinson, and Company) for use inside healthcare settings. Patients can test themselves privately and drop off a sample with a healthcare provider, just as they would a urine sample.
“Despite the benefits of cervical cancer screening, not all women and people with a cervix are screened regularly,” Dr. William Dahut, the society’s chief scientific officer, said in a news release quoted by CBS News at the time. “Most cervical cancers are found in people who have never had a cervical cancer screening test or who have not had a recent screening test. So adding self-collection to a health care center as a screening method for this potentially deadly disease could have a major impact.”
However, researchers say they want to go one step further and allow self-collection tests at home.
According to experts, these tests — which will be covered by public and private insurance, and free at many federally funded clinics for women without insurance — will help reach the 30 percent of eligible women across the U.S. who don’t get screened regularly, including those who avoid Pap smears. Doctors say the screening gap causes thousands of preventable deaths from cervical cancer each year.
Statistics show that around 11,500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and 4,000 die from it.
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