Pap Smear Alternatives Will Let Women Self Screen For Cervical Cancer Starting This Fall
Women will soon be able to use an easy, self-administered test to screen for cervical cancer.
The FDA in May approved Roche Diagnostics’ human papillomavirus self-screening solution, called cobas HPV, and BD’s Onclarity HPV, which would allow women to swab themselves in privacy at a doctor’s office. Physicians would send the collected sample to a lab to test for HPV, which is a viral infection that causes the majority of cervical cancers. Roche said in an email that it expects its self-collection test to be available this fall, while BD said it doesn’t yet have a timeline to roll out Onclarity HPV.
At-home screening is currently under FDA review, but could be another option for women by early next year, according to The New York Times.
