The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center conducted a groundbreaking study that showed how mail-in self-collection tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) can significantly increase cervical cancer screening participation among never- and under-screened women in the United States. According to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, women who received self-collection tests along with a telephone reminder had a 41% participation rate in cervical cancer screening, compared to only 17% for those who received just a telephone reminder. The addition of patient navigation support further increased participation rates to 47%.
Lead author of the study, Jane Montealegre, emphasized the importance of increasing access to screening for cervical cancer, especially for women who are uninsured, live in rural areas, or belong to marginalized communities. The results of the study suggest that self-collection testing could be a solution to reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the U.S.
The FDA recently approved the first at-home screening test for cervical cancer in May 2025, providing a new option for women to get screened for this disease. Despite significant advancements in HPV vaccination and in-office screening, there are still disparities in cervical cancer outcomes, particularly for women of color and those in rural and low-income areas.
During the PRESTIS study, nearly 2,500 women aged 30-65 from the Houston area were enrolled between February 2020 and August 2023. The majority of participants were from ethnic/racial minority populations, with 56% covered by publicly funded financial assistance programs. The study compared three screening intervention approaches: a telephone reminder for clinic-based screening, a telephone reminder with a mailed self-collection test, and a telephone reminder with a mailed self-collection test and patient navigation.
Over 80% of the women in the self-collection groups returned their kits, indicating a preference for this approach within the patient population. The researchers plan to study how to integrate self-collection HPV tests in different primary care settings in the future.
It’s important to note the limitations of the study, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reasons for participation refusal, and barriers related to mailing the test kits to participants’ homes. The study also did not evaluate differences in follow-up appointments for patients who test positive for HPV.
Moving forward, the researchers hope to address these limitations and continue working towards improving access to evidence-based screening tests for cervical cancer. By removing barriers to screening, they aim to make significant progress in reducing the incidence of this preventable disease.
For more information, you can refer to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. This research was conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
