Daily self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Cervical cancer screening coverage can be increased through self-sampling methods, especially for women not attending organized Pap smear screenings.
• High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) self-sampling offers a well-tolerated alternative for cervical cancer screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) prevalence fluctuates daily in infected women.
• To assess the reliability of a single self-collected sample for detecting persistent HR-HPV infections.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involved 25 women (12 premenopausal, 13 postmenopausal) performing daily HR-HPV self-sampling.
• Participants were previously confirmed HR-HPV positive. Sampling durations were 28 days for postmenopausal women and during bleeding-free days for premenopausal women.
• Viral load differences between proliferative (estrogen-dominated) and secretory (progesterone-dominated) menstrual phases were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Consistent HR-HPV results were observed throughout the sampling period for 19 out of 25 women.
• 14 women consistently tested positive for HPV, while 5 consistently tested negative.
• Only 2% (11/607) of samples showed inconsistent HR-HPV results; no significant difference in viral load was found between menstrual cycle phases.

Conclusions:

• Daily HR-HPV self-sampling demonstrates high consistency in detecting infections over time.
• The reliability of HR-HPV detection via self-sampling is not affected by the menstrual cycle phase (proliferative vs. secretory).
• Self-sampling provides a dependable method for monitoring HR-HPV status in women.