Women who receive an invitation to participate in the cervical cancer population screening must also immediately be sent a self-sampling kit. The set can serve as an equivalent alternative to the smear from the GP. This is stated in an advisory report from the Health Council on the options for improving research.
About eight hundred women a year are confronted with cervical cancer, one in four dies from it. By lowering the threshold for participation in the population screening in this way, more cases of cervical cancer can be detected early.
By also sending the self-sampling test, the threshold for women to participate in the population screening can be significantly lowered. ‘With the set a woman can take material from the vagina herself. Just like the smear that the GP takes, that material is tested in the laboratory for types of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that pose a high risk of developing cervical cancer,’ according to the council.
The Ministry of Health says it is studying the advice and expects to come up with a response before the end of the year.
Less than half of the women invited to the survey last year agreed. In previous years, that percentage was about 57 percent. Between March 16 and July 1, the investigation was completely stopped due to the corona pandemic. As a result, a quarter fewer women were called up for the survey last year.
Source: ANP / Photo: RIVM
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