Cervical cancer is the second common cancer among Indian women, with incidence of 17.7 per 100,000 women and a national screening coverage of less than 2%. HPV-Self Sampling (SS) offers a promising opportunity to expand screening coverage. However, understanding the feasibility of this method within the local context is crucial before implementing it as a large-scale intervention. To assess the feasibility of HPV self-sampling (HPV-SS) by exploring the determinants of participation, user experiences and care trajectory among screen positive women on HPV-SS from urban non slum, urban slum, rural and tribal settings in India. Eligible women in age group of 30–69 years were invited to participate in the study. Women enrolled in the study were delivered in-depth education on cervical cancer. In post education session, women were invited to participate in cervical cancer screening, using HPV-SS. The initial participation rate in the study was 66%. The acceptance of HPV-SS was 98.2% after health education among enrolled women. The prevalence of oncogenic HPV ranged from 4.4% to 11.2%, with the highest rates observed in tribal population. Compliance with referral among screen-positive women was 82% in urban non-slum areas and 89% from urban slum settings. In rural and tribal settings, compliance rates were 67% and 89%, respectively, following the organization of community camp. Perception of self-confidence in the accuracy of collecting self-samples and preference for HPV-SS over provider-collected samples varied across the settings. The study highlights HPV-SS as a key driver for scaling up cervical cancer screening coverage. However, initial low participation rates for cervical cancer screening, underscores the need for continuous community awareness efforts and capacity-building among grass root healthcare personnel. Though HPV-SS appears promising, challenges such as limited access to designated laboratories and accessibility to treatment facilities remain significant barriers of widespread implementation.
Anand et al. (Thu,) studied this question.