At-home smear test trial launches in bid to cut cervical cancer
Charlotte Thomas
Social EditorMore than 31,000 women will be offered kits to carry out tests at home as part of the YouScreen trial.
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NHS England has launched a new trial of home testing smear kits. As part of the trial, more than 31,000 women will be offered kits to carry out swab tests in the privacy of their own home.
The swab tests will be given to women by their GP or posted to their homes. The trial hopes to increase the take up of screening for the Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer.
Testing is important because catching cancer early makes it easier to treat.
Research has shown that embarrassment, fears and cultural barriers are some of the main reasons women don’t attend screenings, which are usually carried out by a general practice nurse. There are also worries about attending GP surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The at-home swab kits will mean women can do a test themselves at their own convenience, without having to visit a GP practice.
Studies have shown the kits are simple to use with 99% of users able to carry out a self-swab effectively. Once tests are complete, women will post them directly to the NHS Cervical Screening Programme’s London laboratory. Results are then posted back to women and sent to their GPs.
If the home test detects HPV, women will be invited to attend their GP practice for a standard smear test as a follow-up.
The trial will start in areas of London where screening appointment attendance is low. Women aged 25-64 years who are 15 months overdue for a check and live in the boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Islington, Newham and Tower Hamlets will be offered tests.
The trial will be rolled out at 166 GP practices as part of the national NHS Cervical Screening Programme.
Dr Anita Lim, from King’s College London, who is leading the study, said:
‘Self-sampling is a game-changer for cervical screening. We know many women aren’t coming forward for screening and almost half of women in some parts of London aren’t up to date with their cervical screening.
‘It’s an intimate procedure and a variety of barriers can stop people from attending, even though it can be a life-saving test. This simple and convenient swab means it can be done in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
‘Women who don’t come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer, so it is crucial that we find ways like this to make screening easier and protect women from what is a largely preventable cancer.’
The swab tests are not a replacement for full cervical screening however, instead they're a way to reach people who aren't attending appointments.
After Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted about the at-home tests yesterday, saying 'cervical screening is life saving', The Vagina Museum replied to his tweet and pointed out that self-sampled vaginal swabs are not intended to replace cervical smears.
The London charity said:
'It’s impossible to perform a smear test on yourself unless you are incredibly flexible and have absolutely perfect aim to hit your cervix.
'Cervical smears are a procedure which you need someone to do for you, and you need that person to know what they’re doing.
'The self sampling pilot isn't cervical screening. Those who receive the kits are taking a swab from their vagina to check for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which can cause cervical cancer. People whose sample contains HPV will then be asked to go for a standard smear test.
'The study is targeting people who haven't responded to invitations from their GPs to come for a smear test. It's not a replacement for cervical screening, it's a way of reaching those who are not having their smears.'
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