New home smear tests could be a step closer
DO- IT- YOURSELF smear tests could be a step closer in Scotland after a successful trial revealed home checks can boost the number of women undergoing lifesaving screening.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said it was “preparing the groundwork for the addition of self- sampling” should experts recommend it.
The biggest trial to date, known as the King’s College London YouScreen trial, found more than a million more women could undergo screening every three years in England if the kits were implemented.
As previously revealed in our Don’t Fear the Smear campaign, Glasgow has one of the lowest uptake rates in Scotland. Figures for 2022 to 2023 show only 65.3 percent of those eligible - typically women aged 25 to 64 attended a routine smear test. In the trial, women who were overdue for screening used a vaginal swab to take their sample either at home or in their GP practice, with those who took it at home posting it for free to a laboratory.
The swab looks for human papillomavirus ( HPV), which can cause cervical cancer.
Dr Anita Lim, from King’s College London, said: “Self- sampling has been hailed as a game- changer for cervical screening - and we now have evidence in a UK population to show that it really is.”
The results were published in the journal eClinicalMedicine and NHS England bosses have already indicated they are considering rolling it out across the country. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We welcome the positive findings of the YouScreen study carried out by King’s College London.
“The UK National Screening Committee has not yet recommended the use of self- sampling within screening.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and prepare the groundwork for the addition of self- sampling to cervical screening should the committee recommend this at a later date.
“Cervical screening can prevent cancer before it begins and we strongly urge anyone invited to attend an appointment to do so.”
The Scottish Government, along with the other UK nations, relies on advice from the UK National Screening Committee, an independent expert advisory group which informs decisions taken across the UK on screening programmes.
Recently, a study was undertaken in Dumfries and Galloway which provided self- sampling test kits to women between 25 and 64 who had not taken up the offer of attending for cervical screening.
The findings of this study are expected to be published this year.
Self- testing is already offered in Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
The main symptoms of cervical cancer are vaginal bleeding that’s unusual for you including during or after sex, between periods or after the menopause - or heavier periods than usual; changes to vaginal discharge; and pain during sex or in the lower back, lower tummy or between the hip bones ( pelvis).