Alberta piloting at-home HPV test in hopes of reducing cervical cancer
CBC
The Alberta government is working to finalize a group of women for a pilot project involving at-home testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.
The project, which began in April, aims to reduce the incidence and burden of cervical cancer.
It targets women who have difficulty accessing a health-care provider that would perform a collection in a clinic.
Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services (AHS) are leading the project, Charlotte Taillon, press secretary for Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, told CBC in a statement.
"If the pilot is successful, at-home HPV testing could be an option for women in addition to Pap tests," Taillon said.
AHS will distribute home testing kits to under-screened populations such as those in rural or remote communities, Indigenous communities, and new immigrants.
About 5,000 kits will be handed out to women from selected populations and locations. If the project is successful, Taillon said provincewide implementation could begin next year, starting in May.
Cervical cancer is one of several cancers caused by HPV. The disease, which develops slowly over time, is easily preventable and curable.
Currently, screening for cervical cancer is done through a Pap smear, which is recommended every three years for women aged 21 to 69, or earlier for anyone who is sexually active.
The test is conducted by a doctor who sweeps up cell samples from the cervix to spot lesions caused by HPV. The results show early warning signs of changes that without treatment can develop into cancer.
HPV tests, recommended every five years for women, have gradually been replacing Pap smears because HPV tests have better ability to boost early detection.
Dr. Gina Ogilvie, a professor at the University of British Columbia, is Canada Research Chair in Global Control of HPV-Related Disease and Cancer.
Ogilvie is not involved in the Alberta pilot project but spoke to CBC about the value of testing for HPV.
"By using HPV instead of using a Pap smear, we're able to detect those precancerous lesions that we want to treat to prevent cancer," she said.
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