The Self-Collection Study: a Study of Self-collected HPV Testing and Results Counseling

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women worldwide. Women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) bear a disproportionate burden of cervical cancer and its precursor, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), that result from persistent high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HIV clinical practice guidelines recommend two Pap tests in the year following diagnosis, and if both are normal, yearly thereafter. Nationally, only 25% of women meet this recommendation. The mean annual Pap testing rate for federally funded HIV centers is only 55.7%. In 2009, quality improvement statistics from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Moore Clinic, a large urban HIV center, revealed an annual Pap testing rate of 59%. This occurred despite interventions to address adherence issues were implemented, including nurse case management, co-location of HIV and gynecology services, flexible scheduling, and continuity of care. Women keep their appointments for HIV primary care more often than for gynecology care in the Moore Clinic, so an intervention that takes place during a primary care visit could improve cervical cancer screening rates.

The availability of HPV testing provides a unique opportunity to increase perceived susceptibility to and severity of cervical cancer among women with HIV, and to encourage follow-up Pap testing. HPV testing involves analyzing a sample of cervicovaginal cells for the presence of high-risk HPV strains. Detection of high-risk strains of the virus indicates a high risk for high grade CIN and cancer, while a negative HPV test predicts a less than 2% risk of developing CIN. HPV testing can be easily conducted by women themselves through self-collection in a primary care visit. Studies of women without HIV who do not have regular Pap testing have demonstrated that self-collected HPV testing and results counseling increases the overall screening rate, and women who test positive for HPV have a high rate of follow-up Pap testing. Self-collected HPV testing and results counseling could be utilized in the HIV primary care setting to promote Pap testing among women with HIV.