HPV swab self‐collection and cervical cancer in women who have sex with women

Smith, Megan; Saville, Marion; Canfell, Karen

doi:10.5694/mja2.50736

Topics

Neoplasms

Environment and public health

Women's health

General medicine

Infectious diseases

To the Editor: A recent article highlighted a case where self‐collection enabled detection of an early cervical adenocarcinoma and curative treatment in a previously underscreened woman.1 This case underlines the important benefits from self‐collection making cervical screening more accessible and acceptable to women who have previously declined or delayed screening.

1 Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW
2 University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW
3 Victorian Cytology Service, Melbourne, VIC

Correspondence: megan.smith@nswcc.org.au

Acknowledgements:

Megan Smith receives salary support from the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1159491) and Cancer Institute NSW (ECF181561). The funders played no role in the planning, writing or publication of this letter.

Competing interests:

Marion Saville is Executive Director of VCS Foundation, which runs VCS Pathology, one of two laboratories in Australia accredited to process self‐collected samples.

1. McGauran MF, Pendlebury A. HPV swab self‐collection and cervical cancer in women who have sex with women. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 106–107. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/3/hpv-swab-self-collection-and-cervical-cancer-women-who-have-sex-women.
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cervical screening in Australia 2018 (Cat. No. CAN 111). Canberra: AIHW, 2018. https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/8a26b34d-a912-4f01-b646-dc5d0ca54f03/aihw-can-111.pdf.aspx?inline=true (viewed July 2020).
3. Saville M, Hawkes D, Mclachlan E, et al. Self‐collection for under‐screened women in a National Cervical Screening Program: pilot study. Curr Oncol 2018; 25: e27–e32.
4. Sultana F, Roeske L, Malloy MJ, et al. Implementation of Australia's renewed cervical screening program: preparedness of general practitioners and nurses. PLoS One 2020; 15: e0228042.
5. Arbyn M, Smith SB, Temin S, et al. Detecting cervical precancer and reaching underscreened women by using HPV testing on self samples: updated meta‐analyses. BMJ 2018; 363: k4823.

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