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.