Self-collection for high-risk HPV detection in Brazilian women using the careHPV™ test

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Brazilian women. High-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) persistence is the primary cause of cervical neoplasia. Early detection of hr-HPV is important for identifying women at risk for developing cervical lesions. Approximately 85% of new cases of cervical cancer worldwide and 50% of the total cervical cancer deaths occurred in developing countries. Here, a new methodology to support a cervical cancer screening program was evaluated in women from various Brazilian regions.

Two thousand women aged 18-77 years were enrolled in an opportunistic cervical cancer screening program and were randomized into self-vaginal or health professional-guided cervical sampling groups. The Qiagen careHPV™ test was performed on all samples. Pap tests were performed on all women using liquid-based cytology.

Positive hr-HPV results were obtained in 12.3% (245/2000) of women; similar rates were observed in self- or health professional-collected samples. Eighty-nine percent (1719/2000) of cervical cytologies classified as normal were negative to hr-HPV. Among the cytological samples, 36.6% classified as ASC-US+ were positive to hr-HPV, 78.8% were LSIL and 75.0% were HSIL.

Self-sampled and health professional-sampled vaginal/cervical specimens did not differ in their rates of detection of hr-HPV. Therefore, HPV DNA testing in self-sampled vaginal cells is an alternative to primary screening in low-resource settings.