Interpretation in light of other evidence
Consistent with previous studies comparing self-collected to clinician-collected specimens, we found that self-collected HPV specimens have a great potential to be used in community-based, screening programs. A review of nine studies found that participation in a cervical cancer screening program increased from 8.7% to 39% when self-sampling was offered as a screening option.23Overall, current data suggest that a self-collection option can increase participation in cervical cancer programs in India, and other low- and middle-income countries. While there have been reports of their successful use in Africa, Latin America and in developed countries, there is limited data of their use in India.24,25
This is also one of the few studies that examined the usefulness of self-collected swabs for cervical cancer screening in rural India.26,27 Furthermore, the laboratory assessments of both modes of sample collection revealed high concordance when comparing specimens collected by self-collection and clinician-collected swabs. Thus, self-collected swabs were acceptable to a substantial group of rural women and were reliable in terms of the detection of HPV DNA making them one of the preferred methods to be used in population based surveillance of reproductive cancers such as cervical cancer.