Self-Collection of Specimens for HPV Testing Is Feasible

Although cytology-screening programs for human papillomavirus (HPV) are available in developed countries, not all women make full use of them. The feasibility of using self-collected specimens for testing human papillomavirus (HPV) status among hard-to-reach women was studied in British Columbia.

Outreach nurses, recruited women in women's centers, shelters, and alleys in Vancouver's (Canada) downtown Eastside section. Participants were given a diagram that illustrated how to obtain a cervicovaginal specimen. They then placed the specimen in a tube containing Digene (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) specimen transport medium. Women were asked to collect the specimen immediately at the closest washroom or private location and to return it to the nurse.

Samples were transported to the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) within 24 hours of collection. They were analyzed for the presence of high-risk HPV DNA using the Digene HPV test, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Of the 151 participants whose specimens that were analyzed, 43 were positive for high-risk HPV. The women who tested positive were significantly younger; less educated, and reported having had more sex-trade partners than women who tested negative.

About 14% (21/151) of participants had never received a Papanicolaou smear in British Columbia (BC, Canada), as compared with 8.3% (608/7336) of women in the BC general population. This difference suggests that self-collection of specimens for HPV testing is a practical method to reach women who have not previously participated in cervical cancer screening programs.

The study was initiated by Dr. Gina Ogilvie, assistant professor, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) and was published in the August 2007 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).


Related Links:
British Columbia Center for Disease Control
Digene
University of British Columbia