P.E.I. hopes new at-home HPV tests will end cervical cancer in province by 2040

Prince Edward Island could be one of the first provinces to offer at-home self-testing for human papillomavirus or HPV, according to the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.

Dr. Krista Cassellsaid about 200 patients have tried the kits so far in a medical office setting, with the results cross-checked by a clinician.

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"People like to do things in the privacy of their own home," she said. "We've shown that it's effective. It's as good as a test. It picks up the presence of the virus if it's present. It's cost-effective. It's easy to do."

If all goes well, she thinksthese at-home screening kits could be available to anyone who needs one on Prince Edward Island by the end of this year.

HPV tests have been gradually replacing traditional Pap smear proceduretests around the world because theytest for the virus itself, whereasthe older test looked for cell changes due to the presence of the virus. In that sense, it's an earlier-warning system for an entirely preventable cancer.

The new test is recommended every five years, compared to every three years between Paps.

Cassell saidbetween two and 10 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year on P.E.I. She believes the Island could eradicate cervical cancer in line with Canada's national goal to do so by 2040 and says these kits could play a crucial role.

You have the same accuracy as if a clinician got that specimen. Dr. Gina Ogilvie

Other provinces are interested too. Dr. Gina Ogilvieled pilot projecttrials on the at-home tests across British Columbia six years ago.

"You have the same accuracy as if a clinician got that specimen," she said of B.C.'s experience after sending out 10,000 kits for self-collection in rural and urban areas.

Need to boost screening rate

Right now, Cassell said about 70 per cent of Prince Edward Islanders who need HPV screening are getting it, and the gold standard is more than 90 per cent.

She noted that there are a lot of barriers to testing the traditional way.

"They're worried about the pain, the intrusiveness of the test, the embarrassment, the anxiety around it maybe just the logisticsof getting themselves to a clinic, beingoff work, finding parking," she said.

"And we know that there are major groups that are really impacted by this as well.... Wethink aboutpatients who live in more rural areas. We think about newcomer populations.... The LGBTQ+ population is another one that has beenidentified as perhaps not wanting to come for traditional screening."