Evaluation of the impact of postal mailing on HPV samples.
Friday 2 February 2024
Evaluation of the impact of mailing self-sampling kits for human papillomavirus testing to unscreened women nonresponders in Manitoba.
Summary: Background CervixCheck, Manitoba’s cervical cancer screening program, conducted a pilot study to evaluate whether participation in screening of unscreened women by offering a self-sampling kit for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing by mail in lieu of the Pap test.
Methods: In a prospective cohort study design, a sample of unscreened women (n = 1052) who had been sent a CervixCheck but did not respond were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.
The intervention group received an HPV self-sampling kit by mail; the control group did not receive any additional communication. A provincial laboratory analyzed the returned HPV self-sampling swabs. After 6 months, participation in screening of the two study groups was compared using a logistic regression model adjusted for age and area of residence (urban or rural).
by age and area of residence (urban or rural). Secondary outcomes included HPV positivity, specimen inadequacy, adherence to follow-up and time to colposcopy.
Results: Participation in screening was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (n = 51, 9.6%, vs. n = 13, 2.5%; odds ratio: 4.7; 95% confidence interval: 2.56 to 8.77). Geographic area of residence (urban or rural) and age were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: The study demonstrated that HPV self-sampling kits can increase screening participation in unscreened nonresponders in an organized screening program. Next steps should include additional research to determine the best implementation strategy for HPV self-sampling in Manitoba.
Key words: human papillomavirus, DNA testing, cervical cancer, cancer screening.
Read the full article in its original language Evaluating the impact of postal delivery
