Most women support the implementation of home cervical cancer screening tests to overcome the embarrassment of having to undergo an intimate test in a clinic, a study has revealed.
The National Health Service (NHS) offers cervical cancer screening (formerly known as cytology) to all women aged 25 to 64 every three years. However, almost a third of eligible women in England did not take up the offer in 2023, with many citing lack of time or fear of discomfort and embarrassment.
The test involves using a vaginal swab, similar to a long cotton swab, to take a sample of cells from the cervix.
It is usually carried out in a GP’s surgery and looks for traces of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus linked to cervical cancer, of which there are 3,300 new cases each year in the UK.
Healthwatch England is now calling on NHS officials to offer DIY kits to those who prefer them, pending ongoing reviews of the evidence.
Women want cervical screening to be done at home to avoid the embarrassment of having to undergo intimate tests in clinics
Nearly a third of women eligible for NHS cervical cancer screening did not take them in 2023, with lack of time and concerns about discomfort and embarrassment among the reasons given.
The patient watchdog said its survey of 2,400 women found 73 per cent supported home tests if they were available for free on the NHS.
Healthwatch England commissioned a survey of women in England aged 24-64 who had indicated they were hesitant to take up the next offer of testing. Participants said home testing would offer more privacy, avoid inconvenience and could be done at a convenient time.
But they did express some drawbacks, including concerns about accuracy and the inability to ask a medical professional if the test was being performed correctly.
In a trial led by King’s College London and the National Health Service in England, a patient uses a vaginal swab to take her own sample, either at home or at her GP’s surgery. The swab is then mailed to a laboratory for analysis. Women who are found to have HPV are then invited by a doctor for further testing.
Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to “under-screened” women when they visit their GP could increase uptake by around 400,000 in England each year.
In one trial, patients collected their own sample at home or at a GP’s office, and a doctor invited women to undergo further testing where HPV had been detected.
Previous analysis suggests that offering self-sampling kits to “under-protected” women when they visit their GP, or having the kits sent to their homes, could increase uptake in England by around 400,000 each year.
NHS England is looking at how HPV self-testing could be scaled up. A spokesperson said: “These findings add to growing evidence suggesting that self-testing could have a positive impact in supporting more women to take part in cervical cancer screening.”
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: “Women’s voices must drive improvements in cervical cancer screening and NHS England’s ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Supporting free home HPV testing represents a huge opportunity to increase uptake of screening.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is vital that access to testing is as easy and convenient as possible. We are working to explore the possibility of patients taking their own samples.”
