Women Can Now Check Themselves for Cervical Cancer at Home—Here’s How
It wasn’t until the 1980s that scientists linked human papillomavirus (HPV) cells to cervical cancer, and it would be 20 more years until a vaccine for the sexually transmitted infection became available. Even still, the virus infects about 13 million Americans, including teens, every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Moreover, the CDC estimates that “nearly everyone who is not vaccinated will get HPV at some point in their lives.”
These statistics are particularly concerning because, if left untreated, HPV can lead to cervical cancer. In fact, the CDC says that 9 of every 10 cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV. With this in mind, it’s even more alarming that nearly 1 in 4 U.S. women are overdue for their cervical cancer screenings, according to research from the National Cancer Institute, which are performed via a Pap smear and are necessary even if someone has the HPV vaccine.
The Institute also found that many women skip these screenings due to a lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and a lack of access to healthcare providers. Other women avoid a Pap smear because of the emotional stress or anxiety it causes them.
But as of today, there’s good news: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an at-home test that allows women to check themselves at home for HPV and precancerous cells that could lead to cervical cancer.
RELATED: 85% of Unvaccinated Women Will Likely Get This Virus—And New Research Links It to Heart Disease.
How often should I be checked for cervical cancer?
When the Papanicolaou (Pap) test was introduced in 1945, cervical carcinoma was the leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S., according to a paper published in the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology. The test reduced rates of cervical cancer by 70 percent.
Up until 2012, standard practice was for women to receive a Pap smear annually. However, in 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released new cervical cancer guidelines stating that a Pap smear was only necessary every three years for women with an average risk of cervical cancer. Then, in 2020, they changed the duration to every five years, provided a woman’s Pap and/or HPV test was negative.
Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the ASCCP and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) endorsed the USPSTF’s recommendations. And a 2021 study provided scientific evidence that “among commercially insured women with average risk, cervical cancer screening tests were frequently overused.”
In speaking about these findings, senior study author Jason D. Wright, MD, the Sol Goldman Associate Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeon, said:
“With more screening there is a much higher risk of detecting mild abnormalities that are not clinically significant and would likely resolve on their own. HPV is extremely common, and a positive HPV test doesn’t necessarily indicate a worrisome abnormality. The problem is that detection of HPV and mild abnormalities often lead to more invasive procedures, like colposcopy and cervical conization, that have their own risks. It also leads to unnecessary anxiety among women who are scared that an abnormal test result means they have cervical cancer.”
RELATED: 50% of Colon Cancer Cases in Young People Tied to 1 Common Factor, Researchers Discover.
How do the new at-home tests work?
A standard Pap smear collects cells from the cervix. However, HPV can be detected in vaginal cells. Therefore, the at-home test “involves swabbing the vagina with a spongelike tool rather than inserting a speculum and scraping cells from the cervix, as health care providers do in Pap smears,” explains The New York Times.
The test was created by the San Francisco-based startup Teal Health in an effort to make cervical cancer screening more widely available via their at-home Teal Wand and corresponding telehealth appointments.
The Teal Wand is inserted into the vagina similarly to a tampon and allows women to collect their own samples that are then sent to a lab to be tested for 14 types of high-risk HPV, the same as in the doctor’s office.
In clinical trials leading up to the FDA approval, data showed that the Teal Wand had a 96 percent accuracy rate, the same as cancer screening performed in a doctor’s office, reports CNBC.
“The pandemic showed everyone that telehealth is a thing that is preferred … and made it easier to get care for most Americans,” said Kara Egan, CEO of Teal Health, in speaking with CNBC. “This is about increasing access to care and making sure we have more options to get that care.”
RELATED: 10 Supplements to Help Ease Your PMS Symptoms, According to a Doctor.
When can I start using the Teal Wand?
The Teal Wand is expected to roll out in California this June, and the company states on its website that it “will be expanding to more states soon.”
“The company has had discussions with carriers about insurance coverage for the test as a preventive screening, which for most women would be covered without copays just like an annual doctor’s visit,” reports CNBC. Teal is also working with donors to help fund the tests for those without insurance.
Before a Teal Wand kit is mailed to a patient, they will have a 10-minute virtual visit with a Teal medical provider to determine if they’re eligible for at-home testing. A provider will also review the test results, which patients can expect to receive in about a week.
Like a Pap smear, if the results are negative, no further testing is needed for three to five years. If the results are abnormal, Teal will refer you to an in-person provider who can perform a Pap smear or a colposcopy, a procedure in which a doctor uses a magnifying lens to look at the cervix to determine if a tissue biopsy is needed.
Teal currently has a waitlist signup for anyone interested in the at-home test.