Efficient cervical cancer screening by HPV self-testing

According to a new study, HPV (Human Papillomavirus, the virus which causes cervical cancer) self-testing is associated with efficient cancer detecting. The pilot study was conducted by researchers from Queen Mary University of London who analyzed 100,242 Mexican women from which 11% of the tests were HPV positive. The lead author of this study is Attila Lorincz, Professor of Molecular Epidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Our findings show that large-scale HPV screening can be successfully implemented by home testing. However, if a positive result is received, it`s imperative that all other follow-up services are strengthened so they can accommodate the big increase in screened women”, said Professor Lorincz. The rates to cervical cancer still remain high. However, self-testing could now become beneficial in decreasing these rates. The results of this study are published in the International Journal of Cancer.