Medical Dialogues
  • Dermatology
Login Register
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
Login Register
  • MD Brand Connect
  • Vaccine Hub
  • MDTV
    • Breaking News
    • Medical News Today
    • Health News Today
    • Latest
    • Journal Club
    • Medico Legal Update
    • Latest Webinars
    • MD Shorts
    • Health Dialogues
  • Fact Check
  • Health Dialogues
Medical Dialogues
  • Medical News & Guidelines
      • Anesthesiology
      • Cardiology and CTVS
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diabetes and Endocrinology
      • ENT
      • Gastroenterology
      • Medicine
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Obstretics-Gynaecology
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopaedics
      • Pediatrics-Neonatology
      • Psychiatry
      • Pulmonology
      • Radiology
      • Surgery
      • Urology
      • Laboratory Medicine
      • Diet
      • Nursing
      • Paramedical
      • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
      • Doctor News
      • Government Policies
      • Hospital & Diagnostics
      • International Health News
      • Medical Organization News
      • Medico Legal News
      • NBE News
      • NMC News
  • Fact Check
      • Bone Health Fact Check
      • Brain Health Fact Check
      • Cancer Related Fact Check
      • Child Care Fact Check
      • Dental and oral health fact check
      • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
      • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
      • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
      • Fitness fact check
      • Gut health fact check
      • Heart health fact check
      • Kidney health fact check
      • Medical education fact check
      • Men's health fact check
      • Respiratory fact check
      • Skin and hair care fact check
      • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
      • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
    • Homeopathy
    • Siddha
    • Unani
    • Yoga
  • State News
      • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
      • Andhra Pradesh
      • Arunachal Pradesh
      • Assam
      • Bihar
      • Chandigarh
      • Chattisgarh
      • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
      • Daman and Diu
      • Delhi
      • Goa
      • Gujarat
      • Haryana
      • Himachal Pradesh
      • Jammu & Kashmir
      • Jharkhand
      • Karnataka
      • Kerala
      • Ladakh
      • Lakshadweep
      • Madhya Pradesh
      • Maharashtra
      • Manipur
      • Meghalaya
      • Mizoram
      • Nagaland
      • Odisha
      • Puducherry
      • Punjab
      • Rajasthan
      • Sikkim
      • Tamil Nadu
      • Telangana
      • Tripura
      • Uttar Pradesh
      • Uttrakhand
      • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
      • Ayush Education News
      • Dentistry Education News
      • Medical Admission News
      • Medical Colleges News
      • Medical Courses News
      • Medical Universities News
      • Nursing education News
      • Paramedical Education News
      • Study Abroad
  • Industry
      • Health Investment News
      • Health Startup News
      • Medical Devices News
      • Pharma News
      • Pharmacy Education News
      • Industry Perspective
  • MDTV
      • Health Dialogues MDTV
      • Health News today MDTV
      • Latest Videos MDTV
      • Latest Webinars MDTV
      • MD shorts MDTV
      • Medical News Today MDTV
      • Medico Legal Update MDTV
      • Top Videos MDTV
      • Health Perspectives MDTV
      • Journal Club MDTV
      • Medical Dialogues Show
This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister
Medical Dialogues
LoginRegister
  • Home
  • Medical news & Guidelines
    • Anesthesiology
    • Cardiology and CTVS
    • Critical Care
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes and Endocrinology
    • ENT
    • Gastroenterology
    • Medicine
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstretics-Gynaecology
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pediatrics-Neonatology
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonology
    • Radiology
    • Surgery
    • Urology
    • Laboratory Medicine
    • Diet
    • Nursing
    • Paramedical
    • Physiotherapy
  • Health news
    • Doctor News
    • Government Policies
    • Hospital & Diagnostics
    • International Health News
    • Medical Organization News
    • Medico Legal News
    • NBE News
    • NMC News
  • Fact Check
    • Bone Health Fact Check
    • Brain Health Fact Check
    • Cancer Related Fact Check
    • Child Care Fact Check
    • Dental and oral health fact check
    • Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
    • Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
    • Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
    • Fitness fact check
    • Gut health fact check
    • Heart health fact check
    • Kidney health fact check
    • Medical education fact check
    • Men's health fact check
    • Respiratory fact check
    • Skin and hair care fact check
    • Vaccine and Immunization fact check
    • Women's health fact check
  • AYUSH
    • Ayurveda
      • Ayurveda Giuidelines
      • Ayurveda News
    • Homeopathy
      • Homeopathy Guidelines
      • Homeopathy News
    • Siddha
      • Siddha Guidelines
      • Siddha News
    • Unani
      • Unani Guidelines
      • Unani News
    • Yoga
      • Yoga Guidelines
      • Yoga News
  • State News
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chandigarh
    • Chattisgarh
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli
    • Daman and Diu
    • Delhi
    • Goa
    • Gujarat
    • Haryana
    • Himachal Pradesh
    • Jammu & Kashmir
    • Jharkhand
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Ladakh
    • Lakshadweep
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Maharashtra
    • Manipur
    • Meghalaya
    • Mizoram
    • Nagaland
    • Odisha
    • Puducherry
    • Punjab
    • Rajasthan
    • Sikkim
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Telangana
    • Tripura
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Uttrakhand
    • West Bengal
  • Medical Education
    • Ayush Education News
    • Dentistry Education News
    • Medical Admission News
    • Medical Colleges News
    • Medical Courses News
    • Medical Universities News
    • Nursing education News
    • Paramedical Education News
    • Study Abroad
  • Industry
    • Health Investment News
    • Health Startup News
    • Medical Devices News
    • Pharma News
      • CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) News
    • Pharmacy Education News
    • Industry Perspective
  • Home
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology News
  • Self-sampling just as...

Self-sampling just as effective as speculum-based testing for HPV detection, suggests study

Dr. Kamal Kant KohliWritten by Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2025-02-17T20:45:59+05:30  |  Updated On 17 Feb 2025 8:46 PM IST
Self-sampling  just as effective as speculum-based testing for HPV detection, suggests study
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram
  • Email

Genital human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and is thought to be responsible for more than 99% of cervical cancers.

HPV screening usually entails a speculum-based exam, which is an uncomfortable experience for most patients, especially those who have physical disabilities.

In two studies, published in Preventive Medicine Reports and JAMA Network Open, University of Michigan researchers are the first to demonstrate in the U.S. that self-sampling is just as effective as speculum-based testing for HPV detection.

Most people who have HPV are usually unaware that they have it.

By age 50, at least 4 out of 5 women will have been infected with the virus at some point in their lives.

Usually, these infections disappear within 2 years, due to the body’s defenses. However, in some women the infection lingers and puts them at risk for cervical cancer.

Currently, cervical cancer screens and HPV testing is recommended for women every 3 to 5 years starting at age 25.

“Co-testing for HPV and cervical cancer is not useful in any meaningful way. You can find the same occurrence of cervical cancer and its precursors by just testing for HPV alone,” said Diane Harper, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine and women’s and gender studies and senior author of both studies.

Additionally, the entire process can be physically and emotionally taxing.

“Half of the women in the U.S. who have cervical cancer did not undergo a screening test in the past ten years. We should try to make it a more comfortable experience,” Harper said.

Several countries, including Sweden, Australia and the Netherlands, that have adopted self-screening for HPV have also reduced their incidence for cervical cancer.

“We wanted to focus on the U.S. population and compare self-sampling to speculum-based HPV testing,” Harper said.

Vaginal swabs are useful for first-line HPV screening

The researchers used a cohort of 193 people, between 25 and 65 years, who were either undergoing a routine screening or were at risk for cervical cancer.

“Half of the women in the US who have cervical cancer did not undergo a screening test in the past ten years. We should try to make it a more comfortable experience." - Diane Harper, M.D.

The study participants were instructed to use vaginal swabs, which were then collected and sent to the laboratory. They also underwent speculum exams.

All the samples were tested for 15 types of high risk HPV types.

“We found that using swabs is equivalent to speculum-based collection,” Harper said.

The team also found that their results were in agreement with global data on HPV prevalence, reinforcing the usefulness of vaginal swabs.

Self-sampling improves screening experiences for those with physical disabilities

“Women with physical disabilities have lower rates of cervical cancer screening due to several barriers, including inaccessible healthcare facilities, healthcare providers misunderstanding their risk for cervical cancer and difficulty with positioning for a speculum exam,” said Susan Ernst, M.D., a clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and an author of one of the studies.

Using a cohort of 56 women who had physical disabilities, the researchers tested whether they also preferred vaginal swabs over speculums.

“I was already aware that speculum-based exams can sometimes be unpleasant. However, some of the experiences the participants shared with us were truly horrifying,” said Corrianne Norrid, a medical student at U-M Medical school and co-first author of the study.

The women described in-office speculum-based screenings as “cold”, “traumatizing” and “invasive”. However, when asked about the at-home self-sampling, the women described the experience as “simple”, “comfortable”, and “feasible”.

“The swabs cannot replace having a conversation with your doctor. However, it can save the vast majority of women from getting unnecessary speculum tests,” Harper said.

The researchers are working with U-M Health to make self-sampling the primary method for cervical cancer screening in their clinics.

The researchers hope that results from both studies will inform education and promotion efforts to all people.

“This is a great example of how multiple disciplines at Michigan Medicine work together,” Harper said.

“Our next goal is to find a cure for HPV.”

Reference:

Alisa P. Young, Mutiya Olorunfemi, Leigh Morrison, Scott A. Kelley, Anna Laurie, Anna McEvoy, Jill Schneiderhan, Julie Prussack, Marie Claire O'Dwyer, Pamela Rockwell, Philip Zazove, Jonathan Gabison, Jane Chargot, Kristina Gallagher, Ananda Sen, Dongru Chen, Elizabeth A. Haro, Emma A. Butcher, Martha L. Alves, Christelle El Khoury, Melinda L. Dendrinos, Nicole Brashear, Roger Smith, Richard W. Lieberman, Natalie Saunders, Elizabeth Campbell, Heather M. Walline, Diane M. Harper, Cervical cancer screening: Impact of collection technique on human papillomavirus detection and genotyping, Preventive Medicine Reports, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.102971.

Preventive Medicine Reportshuman papillomavirussexually transmitted infectioncervical cancercancer
Source : Preventive Medicine Reports
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Show Full Article
Next Story

Editorial

National Consensus 2025 on Role of Bisoprolol Across CV Continuum in Women: Top 10 Takeaways

National Consensus 2025 on Role of Bisoprolol Across CV Continuum in Women: Top 10 Takeaways

Relevance of Pioglitazone in Indian T2DM Care Continuum

Relevance of Pioglitazone in Indian T2DM Care Continuum

Azmarda Outperforms Generic Sacubitril/Valsartan in HFrEF Management, says new study

Azmarda Outperforms Generic Sacubitril/Valsartan in HFrEF Management, says new study

First Indian Consensus on Managing Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Recommends Vonoprazan

First Indian Consensus on Managing Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Recommends Vonoprazan

Re-visiting the Role of Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Re-visiting the Role of Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

View All

Journal Club Today

Study Reveals Why Your Immune System Works Better in Daylight

Study Reveals Why Your Immune System Works Better in Daylight

View All

Health News Today

Health Bulletin 30/May/2025

Health Bulletin 30/May/2025

View All
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
Powered By: Hocalwire
X
We use cookies for analytics, advertising and to improve our site. You agree to our use of cookies by continuing to use our site. To know more, see our Cookie Policy and Cookie Settings.Ok