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Rhiannon Ingle
The NHS has just announced a major breakthrough for women with a simple test at home which could save their lives.
Over one million extra women across the UK could benefit for the life-saving checks if the NHS decide to roll out the DIY testing.
Hailed as a 'game changer', the self-testing kit could also lead to around 400,000 more checks every year.
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The kits in question detects human papillomavirus (HPV) which is a group of viruses that cause no symptoms but can lead to cervical cancer.
About 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 percent of all cervical cancers.
HPV testing is part of cervical screening as there's no blood test for HPV.
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The NHS explains: "During cervical screening, a small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and tested for HPV."
Screening is offered to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 and it helps protect them against cervical cancer.
However, recent figures show that cervical screening uptake is declining, with nearly a third of women in England - particularly younger women - not taking their most recent test.
Experts have since warned that some women may refuse testing due to appointment issues, embarrassment or worries about the test causing pain.
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But these new at-home kits could totally change that.
In the biggest trial to date, known as the King's College London YouScreen trial, women used a vaginal swap - similar to a longer cotton bud - to take their sample in their GP practice or at home to be posted for free to a laboratory for analysis.
Other countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and Sweden have already introduced the self-testing kits.
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The trial results, which have been published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, suggest that one million more women could undergo screening every three years in England if the kits were implemented.
Lead investigator Dr Anita Lim, from King’s College London, said: "Self-sampling has been hailed as a game-changer for cervical screening and we now have evidence in a UK population to show that it really is.
"Women who don’t come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer.
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"Cervical screening participation has been falling in England for over two decades. Currently a third of eligible women aren’t getting screened regularly and in some parts of London this is as high as 50%."
She continued: "It is crucial that we make cervical screening easier by introducing innovations like self-sampling, alongside the current cervical screening programme, to help protect more people from this highly preventable cancer.
"Self-sampling can do this by offering people choice and convenience."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.