Millions of women could receive free new life-saving DIY smear tests on the NHS

MILLIONS of women could receive a “revolutionary” DIY cervical screening test through the NHS which can be done at home for free.

The self-test kit – which is quick and easy to use – could lead to around 400,000 more cancer tests every year, with NHS leaders saying they aim to make it available in England.

It works by detecting human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses that tend not to cause symptoms but can lead to the development of cervical cancer.

Around 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7% of all cervical cancers.

A new trial, known as the King’s College London YouScreen trial, is the largest to date and shows how the DIY kit could increase the number of women being screened.

Figures show that uptake of cervical screening is falling, with almost a third of women in England – especially younger women – not having the latest test.

Experts say women may refuse testing due to a lack of convenient appointments, embarrassment and concerns that the test will cause pain.

In the new trial, women used a vaginal swab – like a long cotton swab – to collect the sample at home or at their GP surgery.

Those who tested at home simply sent the kit to a laboratory for free.

The trial results suggest that more than a million women could be screened over three years in England – around 400,000 more every year – if DIY tests were implemented.

Lead researcher Anita Lim, from King’s College London, said: “Self-sampling has been hailed as a game-changer for cervical screening and now we have evidence in a UK population that shows it really is.

“Women who do not have regular screenings are at greater risk of developing cervical cancer.

“Participation in cervical screening has been declining in England for more than two decades.

“Currently, a third of eligible women are not screened regularly and in some parts of London this figure is as high as 50 per cent.

“It is crucial that we make cervical screening easier by introducing innovations such as self-sampling, alongside the current cervical screening programme, to help protect more people from this highly preventable cancer.

“Self-sampling can do this by offering people choice and convenience.”

Published in the magazine eClínicaMedicineThe trial saw 17,604 kits sent directly to people by post, of which 13% were returned.

Around 10,849 women also received a kit when they spoke to their GP about something else.

Eighty-five percent accepted the kits and 6,061 (56 percent) returned the self-sample, either by mail or after taking the test in the office.

Half (52 percent) of all those who returned a self-sample were at least two years past due for screening (including those who had never been screened previously).

Around 64 percent belonged to ethnic minority groups and 60 percent to disadvantaged populations.

Researchers said routine distribution of the kits in England could increase screening coverage from 69.9% to 77.3%.

Dr Lim said: “The YouScreen trial has given us the evidence we need to demonstrate that self-sampling helps get more women screened in England.

“It’s really encouraging that we received samples from groups that have been historically disadvantaged, including people from deprived and ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBTQI+, people with learning difficulties and victims of sexual violence.”

Dr Lim said the 13 percent figure for people who returned kits that were sent to their houses This is in line with previous studies, but it was exciting to see that 56 per cent of people returned a kit when offered it at their GP surgery.

She said this is “very promising in this group of people who don’t come in for screening.”

NHS screening director Deborah Tomalin said: “It’s extremely promising that this study suggests that simple DIY smear tests could have a really positive impact on supporting more women to take part in cervical screenings in their own homes, and the NHS will now work with the UK National Screening Committee to consider the feasibility of implementing this more widely across England.

“However, if you are invited for an NHS cervical screening, it is vital that you come forward – it could save your life and remains vital to our ambition to eradicate cervical cancer in England by the deadline next Two decades.”

Professor Peter Sasieni, head of the research group at King’s College London and now Queen Mary University of London, said the UK is “on track to make cervical cancer a rare disease”.

He said that although the introduction of the HPV vaccine in schools offers huge benefits, women born before 1990 still need regular screenings as they have not been vaccinated against cervical cancer.

When is cervical cancer screening offered?

The NHS invites women to be screened every three to five years, depending on their age, or more frequently if HPV is detected, and screening is known to save thousands of lives every year.

It is advised that all women and people with a cervix have regular cervical examinations – previously known as smear tests – between the ages of 25 and 64.

You will receive a letter in the mail inviting you to make an appointment.

Women aged 25 to 49 will receive an invitation every three years, those aged 50 to 64 will receive one every five years and women over 65 will only be called back if a recent test is abnormal.

If HPV is found, women may be asked to have another test within a year or have a different test to examine the cervix.

Other countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Sweden have already introduced self-test kits.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is crucial that access to screening and testing is as simple and convenient as possible.

“If we are to succeed in our mission to make the NHS fit for futureWe need to catch the disease earlier so we can treat it faster.”