The American Cancer Society is endorsing the use of self-swab kits to test for HPV, because they may reduce barriers to cervical cancer screening.
The organization's updated cervical cancer screening guidelines, published Thursday, come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first at-home test for human papillomavirus. HPV is the top cause of cervical cancer. The guidelines endorse self-swabbing for women at average risk of cervical cancer.
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The amended guidelines will "help improve compliance with screening and reduce the risk of developing and dying from cervical cancer," said Robert Smith, an American Cancer Society senior vice president and the senior author of the guidelines.
Cervical cancer incidence and deaths have halved since the 1970s due to improved screening — although rates have plateaued for most groups over the past decade. In 2025, an estimated 13,360 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed and 4,320 deaths from cervical cancer will occur, primarily as a result of non-adherence to screening recommendations, the American Cancer Society says.
Cervical cancer often can be treated effectively when detected early. But a lack of information about screening, barriers to health care, a history of trauma and embarrassment about pelvic exams are reasons why women do not get tested, the Cleveland Clinic says.
In a comparative study of more than 600 people involved in 16 trials across the United States, 94% of women said they preferred home-collection screening methods to clinician-collection as long as the results were as reliable.
The at-home screening device approved by the FDA, called the Teal Wand, is as accurate at detecting HPV as in-office tests, according to the study.
The Teal Wand requires a prescription but enables people to collect their own vaginal specimens and send them to a lab for testing. Teal Health connects people with health care providers to guide them through the collection and post-testing process.
In 2020, the American Cancer Society endorsed primary HPV screening as the preferred way to screen for cervical cancer. HPV screening tests for the virus that causes abnormal cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer. A Pap smear looks for abnormal cell changes.
Updates to the American Cancer Society guidelines say:
• Self-collected vaginal specimens done privately in a clinic or at home, without a health care provider present, are acceptable for HPV testing as part of screening for cervical cancer. As long as specimens are HPV negative, screening with self-collection should be repeated every three years.
• Clinician-collected cervical specimens are preferred and should be done every five years.
• Individuals with an average risk of developing cervical cancer may stop being screened after having negative primary HPV tests or negative co-testing using HPV tests and cytology testing (Pap tests) at age 60 and 65.
• If primary HPV tests or co-testing are not available, three consecutive negative cytology tests at the recommended screening interval, with the last test at age 65, are acceptable.