Study Finds That Women Of Indigenous Communities Prefer Self-Screening For Cervical Cancer-Causing Virus

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A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that women in Latin America communities, who often lack hospitals and health care facilities needed to process traditional screenings for cervical cancer would prefer to perform an alternative test at home. Cervical cancer is a preventable disease if detected on time, but it remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in these communities, especially women from poor and indigenous societies.

The study is said to be the first to investigate into whether women in indigenous Latin American communities are willing to take self screening and follow up with the results. The findings may serve as a new strategy for health officials who are seeking alternative techniques to combat cervical cancer in the region. The condition affects three times as many women as it does in North America, according to Medical express.

The study was conducted in Santiago Atitlan, a Tz'utujil indigenous community of 45,000 residents in Guatemala. Up to 40 percent of women in Guatemala have been screened for cervical cancer with the age-standardized annual incidence and mortality rate being 22.3 and 12.5 per 100,000 women, respectively.

"In our community-based cross sectional study, we found that women from the indigenous community of Santiago Atitlan were fairly open to trying HPV self-sampling (a vaginal self-swab), lead author and a doctoral student at the U-M School of Public Health, Anna Gottschlich said. The women, after trying it, considered it to be a much preferred alternative to the Pap smear, she said. The researchers noted that there are up to 13 types of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) linked with the development of cervical cancers. They account for more than 90 percent of all cervical cancers, according to Michigan news.

However, the prevention of the condition has been focused on Pap smears to detect lesions caused by the virus and vaccination for persons who are not sexually active. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) which allows for a one see/screen/treat approach, is another strategy, assistant professor of epidemiology at U-M's School of Public Health, Rafael Meza says. All these methods will require women to go to a hospital for the test, and to return for the results and later treatment in the case of Pap smear.

HPV screenings are recommended by health organizations as it is highly sensitive to high-risk HPVs. Although, the screenings were initially cost-prohibitive for low income generating countries, the researchers say they are now becoming more affordable with a self-collection method as a viable alternative.

The trial questionnaire was completed by 212 women between the age of 18 and 60 from nine neighborhoods. The questionnaire comprises of 143 questions about demographics, preventive health care practices, HPV and cervical cancer.

The researchers discovered that only 15 percent of the participants reported previous knowledge of HPV with 93 percent showing interested and willing to collect a self sample, of which 89 percent were eligible and provided an example. Ineligibility is determined by menstrual period or pregnancy.

All the participants reported that they were willing to perform the test periodically as a screening method, 79 percent of them said the test was comfortable and 91 percent report that the test was easy to use, and 17 percent of the samples were positive for at least one of 13 types of high-risk HPV. The authors said the acceptability of the test was extremely high as almost 100 percent wanted to try. The researchers hope that their findings will help local and regional authorities to identify the best cervical cancer screening alternative for their own communities. They published their findings in the January edition of the Journal of Global Oncology.