Title |
Effect of vaginal self-sampling on cervical cancer screening rates: a community-based study in Newfoundland
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Published in |
BMC Women's Health, June 2015
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DOI | 10.1186/s12905-015-0206-1 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Pauline Duke, Marshall Godwin, Samuel Ratnam, Lesa Dawson, Daniel Fontaine, Adrian Lear, Martha Traverso-Yepez, Wendy Graham, Mohamad Ravalia, Gerry Mugford, Andrea Pike, Jacqueline Fortier, Mandy Peach |
Abstract |
Cervical cancer is highly preventable and treatable if detected early through regular screening. Women in the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador have relatively low rates of cervical cancer screening, with rates of around 40 % between 2007 and 2009. Persistent infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause for the development of cervical cancer, and HPV testing, including self-sampling, has been suggested as an alternative method of cervical cancer screening that may alleviate some barriers to screening. Our objective was to determine whether offering self-collected HPV testing screening increased cervical cancer screening rates in rural communities. During the 2-year study, three community-based cohorts were assigned to receive either i) a cervical cancer education campaign with the option of HPV testing; ii) an educational campaign alone; iii) or no intervention. Self-collection kits were offered to eligible women at family medicine clinics and community centres, and participants were surveyed to determine their acceptance of the HPV self-collection kit. Paired proportions testing for before-after studies was used to determine differences in screening rates from baseline, and Chi Square analysis of three dimensional 2 × 2 × 2 tables compared the change between communities. Cervical cancer screening increased by 15.2 % (p < 0.001) to 67.4 % in the community where self-collection was available, versus a 2.9 % increase (p = 0.07) in the community that received educational campaigns and 8.5 % in the community with no intervention (p = 0.193). The difference in change in rates was statistically significant between communities A and B (p < 0.001) but not between communities A and C (p = 0.193). The response rate was low, with only 9.5 % (168/1760) of eligible women opting to self-collect for HPV testing. Of the women who completed self-collection, 15.5 % (26) had not had a Pap smear in the last 3 years, and 88.7 % reported that they were somewhat or very satisfied with self-collection. Offering self-collected HPV testing increased the cervical cancer screening rate in a rural NL community. Women who completed self-collection had generally positive feelings about the experience. Offering HPV self-collection may increase screening compliance, particularly among women who do not present for routine Pap smears. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Ghana | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 157 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 25 | 16% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 16 | 10% |
Student > Postgraduate | 15 | 9% |
Researcher | 12 | 8% |
Other | 6 | 4% |
Other | 24 | 15% |
Unknown | 60 | 38% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 44 | 28% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 24 | 15% |
Social Sciences | 9 | 6% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 3% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 3% |
Other | 10 | 6% |
Unknown | 62 | 39% |