Testing Boosts Cervical Cancer Screening in Opioid Clinics

Study at opioid treatment program finds high patient uptake for vaginal swab self-screening. Offering human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing at an opioid treatment program increased cervical cancer screening among patients who often go without it, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. This expanded screening approach aims to detect cervical cancer at earlier stages and reduce mortality in high-risk, underscreened populations. “We have to get out into new environments to reach patients who are not being reached through standard testing,” says Elizabeth Swisher, MD, a professor of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the study’s lead author, in a release. Swisher notes that people marginalized from the healthcare system, including those with opioid use disorder, are more likely to be unscreened and face higher risk factors for cervical cancer.