Self-collection for HPV testing is designed to capture women who don’t attend for regular screening, says Dr David Papadimos
Self-collection for HPV testing is designed to capture women who either have never been screened or who don’t attend for regular screening, says Dr David Papadimos, a pathologist and the chair of the RCPA National Cervical Screening Program Workforce Project Steering Committee.
“So women who are eligible are those that have either never been screened or who have been under-screened, and that means more than two years overdue for a pap smear test.”
Women who are pregnant or symptomatic are not eligible for self-collection.
The self-collection is a highly-sensitive test, but the disadvantage is that women who are high-risk (HPV 16-18 positive) will have to visit a clinician to have a sample taken for cytology, says Dr Papadimos.
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