by Dr. Marius van der Walt
Introduction
The HPV self-sample kit enables woman of eligible age to do at home sample collection that looks for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is the virus causing cervical cancer. For more than 90% of woman doing an HPV self-sample test means never having to have a smear test again. No internal examination or post test pain, full clinical advice, support and referral is provided free of charge. Accurate results are obtained within 5 days of taking the sample.
Why should I have HPV screening?
At JDJ diagnostics we want to empower you to take control of your own health and we are committed to providing you with clinical excellence in all our cancer screening and diagnostic services.
There is growing consensus that cervical cancer screening needs to move away from the conventional PAP smear as a first line screening test. The most important reasons are:
- It is subjective.
- It has a low “pick up” rate for high grade lesions.
- It identifies woman who already have pre-cancerous cells rather than identifying those at greatest risk for developing pre-cancerous cells before they develop.
Only those women who have a certain strain of HPV will need to be referred to the healthcare provider for further management.
A negative HPV test allows for longer screening intervals as opposed to the conventional PAP smear which is advantageous to the patient.
Self-sampling is not advised in:
- Patients < 25 years of age
- Pregnancy
- Vaginal pain, bleeding or discharge
Conclusion
This test is not aimed at encouraging patients to have no interaction with their healthcare provider, it’s aimed at the fact that so many women in South Africa do not have access to a healthcare provider whether it be for personal or financial reasons, a self-collection will increase the number of women being screened and help prevent unnecessary cervical cancer cases and deaths.