Self-collection of specimens for HPV testingAugust 28, 2007In this Research letter, Dr. Gina Ogilvie and colleagues investigate the feasibility of self-collection of specimens for HPV testing among women who may not make full use of cytology screening programs (e.g., women who are homeless or who are involved in the sex trade) and are thus at increased risk of cervical cancer. To study the feasibility of self-collected specimens for testing human papillomavirus (HPV) status among hard-to-reach women, outreach nurses recruited women in women's centres, shelters and alleys in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Of the 151 participants for whom samples were available, 43 (28.5%) tested positive for high-risk HPV. Outreach nurses were able to recontact 81.4% of the participants who tested positive and referred them for further testing. About 14% (21/151) of participants had never received a Papanicolaou smear in British Columbia, as compared with 8.3% (608/7336) of women in the BC general population (p < 0.05). The authors' findings suggest that self-collection of specimens is feasible for women who are at high risk of cervical cancer and who do not receive routine cervical cancer screening. Future studies should include an examination of the rate of follow-up testing among women found to be positive for high-risk HPV. In addition, improved methods are necessary to enhance uptake of follow-up interventions. As well, given the high incidence of this preventable cancer in developing countries, self-collection of specimens for HPV screening could be offered as a component of reproductive health programs and could be administered by health care workers to improve access to cervical cancer screening. Follow-up using screen-and-treat methods could then be used to offer definitive treatment for women at risk for cervical cancer.
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Related HPV Current Events and HPV News Articles Survival of head and neck cancer patients is greatly affected by coexisting ailments Current estimates for head and neck cancer survival are largely inaccurate because they widely disregard many of the most common diseases such patients have in addition to their primary cancer, says Jay Piccirillo, M.D., a head and neck specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. LSUHSC public health contributes to estimate of HPV-related cancers Professor Vivien Chen, PhD,. Associate Professor Xiao Cheng Wu, MD, PhD and Assistant Professor Edward Peters, DMD, SM, ScD, at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health contributed five papers to the largest most comprehensive assessment of the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers in the United States to date. Oral rinses used for tracking HPV-positive head and neck cancers holds promise for cancer screening A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, validates a non-invasive screening method with future potential for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancers. Extra copies of EGFR gene signal poor prognosis for vulvar cancer A genetic fingerprint identified in patients with a gynecologic cancer may reveal candidates for targeted therapy. Model highlights benefits and risks of cervical cancer screening methods In an analysis based on a computer model, it appears that comparing the benefits and risks of different cervical cancer prevention approaches may help women and their physicians choose appropriate screening strategies. New HPV test for developing countries shows high accuracy in predicting cervical disease: Study A new HPV test developed by QIAGEN specifically for use in regions of the world with scarce resources is "substantially" more accurate in identifying women with cervical disease than the current methods (Pap testing and visual inspection) in these countries. Higher anaphylaxis rates after HPV vaccination: CMAJ study The estimated rate of anaphylaxis in young women after human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was significantly higher - 5 to 20 fold - than that identified in comparable school-based vaccination programs. Cervical cancer prevention should focus on vaccinating adolescent girls The cost-effectiveness of vaccination in the United States against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, will be optimized by achieving universal vaccine coverage in young adolescent girls, by targeting initial "catch-up" efforts to vaccinate women younger than 21 years of age, and by revising current screening policies. NIST trumps the clumps: Making biologic drugs safer Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a technique to measure the formation of clumps of proteins in protein-based pharmaceuticals. New study shows potential to treat or prevent viral cancers A new study, presented at the SNM 55th Annual Meeting, shows that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) targeting viral antigens offers a novel option to treat-or even prevent-many viral cancers by targeting cancer cells expressing viral antigens or infected cells before they convert into malignancy. More HPV Current Events and HPV News Articles |
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