Self-collection increases women’s participation in screening for cervical cancer. The self-collection kit was also more cost effective.
Vaginal self-sampling is effective, but it is also a good alternative to smear for women not participating in screening for cervical cancer. This is what reveals a study of the CHRU of Tours carried out on thousands of women and published in the British journal of Cancer. It shows that sending a kit for vaginal self-sampling to the homes of women who have not been screened makes it possible to obtain a higher participation in screening for cervical cancer.
Self-levy increases participation
In detail, the research was carried out from March 2012 to September 2013 on 6,000 women residing in Indre-et-Loire. Sending a vaginal self-sampling kit to the homes of non-screened women resulted in a participation of 22.5%, against only 11.7% among women receiving a letter encouraging them to perform a smear, and 9.9% among women not receiving mail or self-collection kit.
These women, who participated the most in the screening, in fact received a kit containing an explanatory letter, a swab, an identification sheet, an illustrated explanatory leaflet and a postage-paid return envelope. They had to carry out their self-sampling alone. they then sent it to the virology laboratory to look for the possible presence of papillomaviruses which are the leading cause of cervical cancer. If necessary, they had to see a doctor for a smear.
Towards a new method of screening
For Dr Ken Haguenoer, who led the study at the CHRU in Tours, these results plead in favor of this new screening method, in particular on the targets of women who are not very sensitive to the recommendations.
Because screening for this cancer by cervico-uterine smear is currently stagnating in France. Its coverage rate has been stuck at 57% for several years, with strong economic and geographic disparities. The same is true in other European countries, where only one in two women does so in Great Britain. The main reasons for this weak adherence are the difficulties of access or the reluctance vis-à-vis the pelvic examination and the lack of organized screening, recently pointed out a study published in the British Medical Journal.
However, in France, it is recommended every three years, between 25 and 65 years old.
An excellent cost / efficiency ratio
The medico-economic analysis also shows that sending a self-collection kit was more cost-effective (€ 63.2 per additional woman screened) than sending a follow-up letter (€ 77.8).
While the 2014-2019 cancer plan provides for the establishment of organized screening for cervical cancer, vaginal self-sampling could, in this context, be offered to non-participating women.
As a reminder, cervical cancer is linked to a human papillomavirus infection transmitted by sexual route. In France, it affects around 3,000 women each year and is the cause of 1,000 deaths.
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