Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, with about 500 000 new cases per year among women worldwide. With a well-organized screening programme the number of cases can be reduced by more than 50%. In spite of having such a screening programme there are still around 450 new cases yearly in Sweden. The majority of these cases occur in non-attendees. There is thus a need to improve the Swedish cervical cancer screening programme in order to further reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer and high-grade cervical dysplasia are caused by sexually transferred high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs). In cases of persistent HR-HPV infection there is a risk of development of dysplasia and in some cases subsequent progress to cervical cancer. HR-HPV testing shows high sensitivity as regards the detection of cervical dysplasia. Self-sampling of vaginal fluid for the analysis of HR-HPV has many advantages, since a woman can perform the sampling herself in a private setting, whenever suitable, without the need to travel to a clinic. Our studies have shown that sensitivity in the detection of precancerous lesions is about twice as great with the HR-HPV self-test compared with cytology-based tests.  If a woman was HR-HPV-positive in two consecutive tests, the specificity of the HR-HPV test increased to about 98%. Among women with short-term persistent HR-HPV infection, the prevalence of CIN 2+ was over 40%. There was good concordance in sensitivity as regards the detection of CIN 2+ between self-obtained and physician-obtained samples, although self-sampling was associated with slightly lower specificity. The prevalence of HR-HPV from day to day in premenopausal women was not influenced by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Neither were there significant day-to-day changes in postmenopausal women. A single self-test thus provides reliable information on whether or not a woman has an HR-HPV infection. In conclusion, self-sampling combined with the analysis of HR-HPV appears to be a powerful alternative as a primary screening method for the prevention of cervical cancer. Self-sampling for HR-HPV testing is a suitable, safe and accepted strategy for cervical cancer prevention among women.

Les inégalités de participation au dépistage du cancer du col de l’utérus (CCU) sont multifactorielles et la prévention primaire du CCU par la vaccination contre les papillomavirus humains (HPV) oncogènes pourrait présenter des similarités. Médecin de premier recours de l’ensemble de la population, le médecin généraliste (MG) pourrait avoir une place importante dans la limitation de ces inégalités et nous voulions l’explorer avant l’implémentation du dépistage organisé national français (DONF) du CCU.La comparaison des données de remboursement de deux départements français dont l’un participait à l’expérimentation de dépistage organisé, a mis en évidence une participation au dépistage plus importante dans le département d’expérimentation. Le gradient de participation diminuant avec l’augmentation du niveau de défavorisation était plus fort dans le département d’expérimentation, et plus encore en milieu rural. Nos données ne nous ont pas permis d’explorer ces aspects pour la vaccination contre les HPV.Interrogés sur leurs préférences pour limiter ces inégalités dans le cadre du DONF, gynécologues et MG étaient favorables au ciblage des femmes non dépistées, par invitations centralisées impliquant le médecin traitant déclaré ou en leur fournissant la liste des femmes non dépistées de leur patientèle. Le ciblage des femmes de plus de 50 ans ou défavorisées, de même que les autoprélèvements de dépistage des HPV, étaient rejetés par les praticiens.L’ensemble de nos travaux confirmaient l’importance d’un universalisme proportionné lors de l’implémentation du DONF. L’adhésion des praticiens, dont les MG, nécessitera une information sur la motivation des mesures proposées. / Unequal participation in uterine cervical cancer screening (UCC) is multifactorial and primary prevention of UCC by vaccination against oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) may have similarities. As primary care physicians for the overall population, general practitioners (GPs) could be a major contributor in limiting these inequalities. We aimed to explore these contributions before the implementation of the French national organized screening (FNOS) of UCC.The comparison of reimbursement data from two French departments, one of which experimented a regional organized screening, revealed a greater participation in screening in the experimental department. The participation gradient decreasing with the increase of deprivation was stronger in the experimental department, and moreover in rural areas. Our data did not allow us to explore these aspects for HPV vaccination.Asked about their preferences to limit these inequalities when implementing the FNOS, gynecologists and GPs were in favour of targeting unscreened women, by centralized invitations involving the declared attending physician, or by providing them with a list of unscreened women among their patients. Targeting women over 50 years old or deprived women, as well as HPV self-sampling, were options rejected by practitioners.Our results confirmed the importance of a proportionate universalism when implementing the FNOS. The involvement of practitioners, including GPs, will require information on the rational of the proposed measures.

Bakgrund: Cervixcancer orsakas av human papillomavirus. WHO:s mål är utrotning av cervixcancer, för att nå målet krävs högt deltagande i vaccination- och screeningprogrammet för cervixcancer. Kvinnor som sällan deltar i screening hade störst risk för cervixcancer, därför planeras HPV-självtest att erbjudas. Studier om kvinnors attityd till HPV-självtest saknas. Syftet var att undersöka kvinnors attityd till HPV-självtest. Metod: En kvantitativ tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes med webbenkät. Resultatet analyserades med deskriptiv och passande analytisk statistik. Resultat: 408 kvinnor deltog i studien varav 89,7% tänka att sig HPV-självtest som screeningmetod för cervixcancer De som kunde tänka sig testet tyckte i större utsträckning att screeningen var viktigt (p=0,02). Majoriteten skulle föredra screening hos barnmorska (57,8%) framför HPV-självtest (42,2%) (p=<0,001). Oro för obehag (p=0,001), genans (p=0,001), svårt att använda testet (p=0,001), bristande tillförlitlighet till utförandet (p=0,001) och rädsla för smärta (p=0.01) framkom i högre utsträckning hos kvinnor som ej kunde tänka sig HPV-självtest. Majoriteten litade på hälso- och sjukvården (97,3%), främst de kvinnor som kunde tänka sig HPV-självtest (p=<0,001).  Slutsats: Kvinnor har positiv attityd till HPV-självtest. Majoriteten kunde tänka sig testet men föredrar screening hos barnmorska framför HPV-självtest. Otillräcklig tillförlitlighet och osäkerhet om genomförandet är barriärer för att välja HPV-självtest. Upplysning om HPV-självtest och tillförlitligheten krävs innan implementering i för att kvinnorna ska acceptera screeningmetoden. / Background: Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus. WHO's goal is to eliminate cervical cancer, to accomplish that, a large number of women must participate in vaccination- and screening-programs. Women who rarely participate in screening have greatest risk of cervical cancer, therefore self-sampling is planned to be offered. There is paucity of studies on attitudes towards HPV self-sampling. Aim: Investigate women's attitudes towards HPV self-sampling. Method: Quantitative cross-sectional studie, web survey. Results were analysed with descriptive statistic and appropriate analytic statistic. Results: 408 women participated in the study and 89,7% could consider self-sampling as screening-method. Women who could consider self-sampling thought cervical cancer screening is important (p=0.02). Women preferred midwifery screening (57.8%) before self-sampling (42.2%) (p=<0.001). Anxiety about discomfort, embarrassment, difficulty, not taking the test correctly (p=0.001) and fear of pain (p=0.01) was higher among women who could not consider self-sampling. Majority of all women trusted the healthcare (97.3%) and was seen among women who could consider self-sampling (p=<0.001). Conclusion: Women have positive attitude towards HPV self-sampling. Majority could consider self-sampling but preferred midwife screening. Reliability and uncertainty about whether the test been used correctly seems to be barriers against choosing self-sampling as screening-method. Information about reliability of the method is needed before implementation so women accept the screening-method.

Introduction: Les dispositifs d'auto-prélèvement sanguin permettent des échantillonnages à distance. L'étude explore (i) l'influence des sites de prélèvement et de l'analgésie topique sur le volume sanguin capillaire et la douleur, et (ii) la faisabilité, la sécurité et l'acceptabilité de l'autoprélèvement capillaire avec le dispositif Tasso-SST chez les adultes et les enfants. Méthodes: L'étude comportait deux phases avec la phase expérimentale comprenant deux études transversales conduit sur place, chez des adultes en santé (> 12 ans) et enfants (< 18 ans) en dyades enfant-parent. Les issues principales étaient: le volume capillaire sanguin et la perception de la douleur. La phase de mise en oeuvre portait sur deux essais multicentriques et ciblait les participants ayant opté pour des visites à distance. L’issu principal était le volume capillaire sanguin. Les issues secondaires des études incluaient l’échec du dispositif, les événements indésirables, la satisfaction et la volonté de réutiliser le dispositif. Résultats: L'étude a recruté 90 adultes et 9 enfants avec 7 parents (dyades) dans la phase expérimentale et 15 adultes et 2 enfants en phase de mise en oeuvre. Durant la phase expérimentale chez l'adulte, le dispositif a collecté une médiane (25%, 75%) de 450 (250, 550) μl de sang, sans différence significative entre les sites de ponction et l'usage ou non d’analgésie topique. L'analgésie topique a réduit la perception de la douleur de 0,61 (IC à 95 %: 0,97, 0,24 ; P <0,01) points sur l'échelle de 11 points, avec une réduction plus importante au bas du dos. Le volume médian collecté chez les enfants était de 450 μl avec un score médian de douleur de 0,5. En combinant toutes les études et phases, le volume médian collecté était de 425 (250, 500) μl, avec un taux d’échec de 4,4 % et des effets indésirables mineurs signalés chez 8,9 % des participants. Tous étaient prêts à réutiliser l'appareil. Conclusion: L'auto-prélèvement capillaire, avec un rendement d’un peu moins de 500 μl, est peu douloureux avec un bon profil d’innocuité, un haut degré de satisfaction et peu d'échec chez les adultes et les enfants. Le site de ponction et l'analgésie topique n'influent pas significativement sur le volume sanguin. L'utilisation d'une analgésie topique au bas du dos réduit légèrement la douleur, mais l’importance clinique de la réduction reste incertaine. / Introduction: Blood self-collection devices offer an opportunity to provide remote sampling. The study aimed to explore (i) the impact of puncture sites and topical analgesia on capillary blood volume and pain perception and (ii) the feasibility (volume, failure rate), safety, and acceptability of capillary self-collection using the Tasso-SST blood collection device among adults and children. Methods: The study consisted of two phases, with the investigational phase involving on-site cross-sectional studies in healthy adults (>12 years) and children (<18 years) as child-parent dyads. The primary outcomes were capillary blood volume and pain perception. The implementation phase involved two multicentre trials in participants opting for remote visits. Where the primary outcome was blood volume. Secondary outcomes of the study included device failure, adverse events, satisfaction, and willingness to re-use the device. Results: The study enrolled: 90 adults and 9 children with 7 parents (dyads) in the investigational phase and 15 adults and 2 children in the implementation phase. During the adult investigational phase, the device collected a median of 450 (interquartile range: 250, 550) μl of blood with no significant difference between puncture sites and topical analgesia. Topical analgesia reduced pain perception by 0.61 (95% CI: 0.97, 0.24; P <0.01) points on the 11-point scale, with a magnitude of reduction varying by puncture site, with the lower back showing the most decrease. The median volume collected among children in the dyads was 450 (400, 475) μl with a median pain score of 0.5. During the implementation phase, both participants and research staff expressed willingness to use the device again. Overall, combining all studies and phases, the median volume collected was 425 (250, 500) μl, and the device failure rate was 4.4%; minor adverse effects were reported in 8.9% of the participants, all were willing to use the device again. Conclusion: Capillary blood self-collection, yielding slightly less than 500 μl, proves to be minimally painful with a good safety profile, high satisfaction, and low failure rates for both adults and children. The puncture site and topical analgesia don't significantly affect blood volume, but using topical analgesia on the lower back slightly reduces pain, with unclear clinical importance.