Integrating Cervical Cancer Screening Into Pre-existing, Low-resource Mexican-US Border Clinics

Cervical cancer screening in under-resourced areas presents significant challenges. Our project evaluated the integration of an HPV-based screening protocol in low resource clinics in Tijuana, Mexico. Our protocol featured point-of-care High Risk HPV (HR-HPV) screening through self- or provider collection, based on patient preference. HR-HPV positive patients were offered same or subsequent day colposcopy. Treatment was provided with thermal ablation. 62 patients were screened with 31% HR-HPV positivity rate. 60% preferred self-collection, and 40% preferred provider collection. Among test-positives, 53% underwent colposcopy, with a loss to follow up of 47%. 96% of respondents expressed willingness to recommend the program, Our conclusion is that HPV screening can be effectively implemented in low-resource clinics, with attention to logistical issues associated with new technology and specific social barriers.