An alternative to the traditional Pap smear will be available in the United States starting this fall but Clark County’s major health care providers don’t have immediate plans to use the new test.
In May, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new method for cervical cancer screening that would let patients collect their own samples. These self-collection kits, still used in health care settings like a doctor’s office, use a swab similar to those used in COVID-19 testing. Patients privately swab the vagina and then a health care provider uses it for testing for human papillomavirus, the primary virus responsible for cervical cancer.
Kits by pharmaceutical company Becton, Dickinson and Co. are expected to begin shipping to medical providers in September, while Roche’s kits will be available later in the fall, according to The New York Times.
However, major health care providers serving Clark County, including Legacy Health, PeaceHealth and Kaiser Permanente, do not plan to offer self-collection tools immediately.
Kaiser spokeswoman Karen Vitt said the health care provider is not planning to offer self-collection testing this fall but it is being discussed as a possibility in the future.
Similarly, Legacy Health spokeswoman Vicki Guinn said the organization is not currently using the test or offering it to patients.
A change in HPV screening has made self-collection an option, as labs can now test using samples taken from the vaginal walls, instead of just from the cervix.
The FDA is still reviewing the possibility of at-home cervical cancer screenings that would let patients collect samples at home to send to a lab. Those tests could gain approval by early next year.
In the meantime, yearly checkups are still recommended.
Rina Shapiro, a clinician at Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette’s Vancouver health center, said she recommends patients schedule regular wellness visits for Pap smear exams.
“At our Vancouver health center, we provide these visits, which are all about you, your body, and your reproductive health,” Shapiro said. “Wellness visits are covered by insurance (including Apple Health and the Oregon Health Plan) as preventive care and can be crucial in early cancer detection. They also give patients the opportunity to talk through any questions they may have — birth control options, pregnancy, family health history, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections, vaccines and more in a safe space with someone they trust.”
