Self-collection of HPV specimens feasible

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers found self-collection of specimens is feasible for women at greatest risk of infection from the human papillomavirus.

Dr. Gina Ogilvie of the University of British Columbia and colleagues recruited homeless women, those involved in the sex trade and others who usually make full use of cytology screening programs in women's centers, shelters and alleys in Vancouver's downtown Eastside.

Of the 151 participants for whom samples were available, 28.5 percent tested positive for high-risk HPV, and outreach nurses were able to re-contact 81 percent of the participants who tested positive and referred them for further testing, reported the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

About 14 percent of participants had never received a Papanicolaou smear in British Columbia, as compared with 8.3 percent of women in British Columbia.

The high incidence of HPV in developing countries suggests self-collection of specimens for HPV screening could be offered as a part of reproductive health programs and could be administered by healthcare workers to improve access to cervical cancer screening, the authors suggest.