Worldwide Evaluation of Cervical Cancer Self-Sampling Devices

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Public Health
• Oncology

Background:

• Cervical cancer disproportionately affects low-income regions, with nearly 90% of cases and deaths occurring there.
• Self-sampling for cervical cancer screening emerged in the 1980s to improve access for vulnerable populations and those hesitant about clinician-based methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To consolidate data on the prevalence, accuracy, and acceptance of cervical cancer screening self-sampling devices globally.
• To assess the effectiveness of self-sampling in detecting high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher.

Main Methods:

• An extensive peer-reviewed literature search was conducted to gather data on various self-sampling devices.
• Prevalence, accuracy, and acceptance rates were summarized, with a focus on high-risk HPV detection.

Main Results:

• Several self-sampling devices, including Evalyn Brush, Delphi Screener, FLOQSwab, Viba-Brush, and Digene Brush, have been extensively studied.
• Self-sampling devices demonstrated no significant difference in accurate high-risk HPV detection compared to clinician-based collection.
• These devices showed effectiveness in achieving broader global screening coverage, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Conclusions:

• Cervical cancer self-sampling devices are effective tools for increasing screening coverage in underserved populations.
• Widespread adoption of self-sampling could significantly impact the detection of high-risk HPV and dysplasia, potentially reducing global cervical cancer incidence.