Cervical cancer self-test kits will automatically be sent to all women turning 30

It will soon become easier for women to participate in the national cervical cancer monitoring program. Starting this week, every woman who turns 30 will receive a self-sampling kit with an invitation, the Dutch public health institute, RIVM, announced. This will allow them to participate in the research from home.

Women aged between 35 and 60 who have not responded to the first invitation will also automatically receive a self-sampling kit at home after twelve weeks. The test can determine the presence of the human papilloma virus, or HPV, a virus which can cause cervical cancer.

If HPV is found, the participant will receive an invitation to visit their general physician for a Pap smear test. This will then be examined for abnormal cells.

Participation in the study is voluntary and free, and can be done with both the self-sampling kit and the smear. Both methods are effective and reliable for detecting cervical cancer. The disease is most common in women between the ages of 30 and 60, with health authorities focusing on women in that age group for participation in the study.

About 900 women get cervical cancer every year, and 200 people die from the disease. Without the population screening, the number of annual fatalities would be 500, according to the RIVM.

In 2021, almost 55 percent of the women who received an invitation participated in the study. This rate fell to 44 percent among women aged between 30 and 34. According to the RIVM, the reasons for not taking part in the study range from general disinterest to those who find the smear test annoying or uncomfortable.