Roche has announced the launch of a human papillomavirus (HPV) self sampling solution for women at risk of cervical cancer.
The new solution enables a patient to privately collect their sample for HPV screening while at a healthcare facility, following instructions provided by a healthcare worker. The vaginal sample is then analysed with the Roche cobas HPV test on a Roche molecular instrument.
Screening for HPV can help identify women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer, so that the disease can be found and treated early. There are many drivers that contribute to women not participating in cervical cancer screening programs, including limited access to testing, past experiences, embarrassment, and cultural influences. Roche’s self-sampling solution helps reduce these barriers by offering women a less invasive collection procedure, while also providing accurate and reliable results.
“Self-sampling technology is poised to transform cervical cancer prevention. In Africa, many barriers still exist for women in need of HPV screening. Underdeveloped nations carry the highest burden of cervical cancer, but access to adequate treatment can be challenging.
“We hope to break down these barriers and address the prevalence of cervical cancer on a wider scale by enabling women to collect their own specimens,” said Jonathan Keytel, Head of Healthcare Transformation at Roche Diagnostics.5
Every year, over 604,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 342,000 die from this preventable disease, caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV). For patients living in areas with limited healthcare resources, increasing access to screening and decreasing barriers to sample collection are keys to ultimately preventing this disease.