An innovative health intervention to improve cervical cancer screening rates in British Columbia using mailed samples for self-collected cervix screening

Despite the success of British Columbia’s Cervix Screening Program, people with a cervix who do not regularly attend screening remain at higher risk for cervical cancer. New strategies are needed to overcome barriers to conventional screening and improve uptake among non-attenders. This project aims to evaluate the feasibility & acceptability of using self-collected HPV-based cervix screening in rural communities in BC, and the feasibility & acceptability of an online service for at-home cervix screening in other communities in BC. This is a partnership between investigators at BC Cancer and the BC Centre for Disease Control Online Services team who developed the highly successful online public health service GetCheckedOnline. Participants who test positive for high risk strains of HPV will be contacted and referred for further testing and care. This approach can improve access and acceptability of screening and prevent cervical cancer among high-risk people with a cervix. As the province plans for the shift to HPV-based screening, the findings of this research project will have significant policy and clinical impacts.

To learn more about CervixCheck, see our projects below or visit our website here

CervixCheck Projects

  • CervixCheck Fraser is a pilot research project in the Fraser Health region aimed at increasing participation in screening for women and persons with a cervix, and evaluating the feasibility of a website to do this. CervixCheck allows persons to register through a secure website to receive a kit for cervix screening at home. It is meant for people living in Surrey and North Delta who have not had a cervical screen in the last 3 years or more. After registering online, a screening kit is mailed to the participant for collection. The kit is mailed back for testing, and the screening results will be available on the CervixCheck website.

  • The CervixCheck Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) project is modelled after the initial CervixCheck project in the Fraser Health region. The project operates in Northwestern and Northeastern BC, and will recruit approximately 275 Métis identifying women and persons with a cervix who live in and around Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge and Fort Nelson BC. Currently, Métis women and people with a cervix in the North are underserved in terms of access to cervix screening. This project aims to support Métis women and people with a cervix in accessing screening without having to leave their community, and to evaluate the acceptability of an website for cervix screening.

  • The collaborative project with Carrier Sekani Family Services will explore the acceptability and feasibility of an intervention to improve access to cervical cancer screening in rural Indigenous communities in Northern BC among women who do not regularly attend screening. The approach involves self-collected HPV-based cervical cancer screening, and, through taking strength-based approaches, aims to address challenges that some people have with Pap smears, such as physical discomfort, geographical barriers or difficulty getting to a clinic.

  • A collaborative project in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority explores the acceptability and feasibility of an intervention to improve access to cervical cancer screening in rural First Nation communities in Northeastern BC, among women who do not regularly attend screening. The approach utilizes self-sampling kits for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as a means for cervical cancer screening. Women are given kits by community health nurses, at community health and wellness events, and self-collect in a private room at the community health center.