Women and people with cervixes should have the option to use a self-swab human papillomavirus (HPV) test as part of a cervical cancer screen, the United States Preventative Services Task Force said in a draft recommendation Tuesday.
“Studies show this option is just as accurate as when the HPV sample is collected by a clinician, and it is proven to increase screening, especially among groups who are traditionally under screened,” the draft recommendation reads.
“Overall, self-collection offers a new choice for women that can be particularly helpful for those who currently face barriers to care or experience discomfort with traditional screening,” the task force added.
Women and others assigned female at birth in their 20s should still get a Pap smear every three years, according to the draft recommendations.
But the task force recommends women and people with cervixes aged 30 to 65 undergo HPV testing every five years. Alternatively, people between the ages of 30 and 65 can also undergo a Pap smear every three years or get a combined HPV and Pap test every five years, according to the recommendations.
“We that this new, effective option helps even more women get screened regularly,” said Esa Davis, a family medicine doctor and member of the task force.
The HPV is a common sexually transmitted disease and is responsible for nine out 10 cases of cervical cancer.
HPV testing is commonly done as part of a cervical cancer screening during a pelvic exam and those exams have traditionally been given at a health care provider’s office.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued expanded approvals for several self-swab tests for HPV earlier this year, meaning that people may soon be able to perform the test themselves.
Some clinics have already started allowing patients to use self-swab HPV tests with one manufacturer hoping the tests will receive FDA approval for at-home use some time next year.