
DIY cervical cancer tests most likely to be used if offered by GPs
The tests, which can be performed at home, look for the human papillomavirus (HPV) – the virus which is linked to the majority of cases of cervical cancer.
A new study examined the most effective ways women can be approached about performing the tests themselves at home.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and King's College London performed a study across 13 GP surgeries in west London.
They found that under-screened women were more likely to take up the offer of a self-sample test if they were 'opportunistically' approached when they were visiting a GP for another reason.
Fewer tests were returned when under-screened women were sent a test in the post, or were sent a letter inviting them to get a self-sampling kit.
Women who haven't come forward for cervical screening will be offered self-sampling kits.
As part of the 10 Year Health Plan, we're tackling the barriers that keep some women away from potentially lifesaving screenings.
Learn more: https://t.co/id8III4MNC pic.twitter.com/nGrpPNYXug
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 24, 2025
Of 449 women opportunistically offered a self-sample kit, 333 (74%) accepted the offer and 234 (52%) returned a sample within six months.
Meanwhile, 198 of the 1,616 women sent a kit in the post (12%) and 76 of the 1,587 women sent a letter inviting them to order a kit (5%) returned a self-sample within six months.
'We showed that the uptake of self-sampling was by far the highest among women who were opportunistically offered kits in primary care,' the researchers wrote in the journal eClinicalMedicine.
But the researchers said that more work was needed to ensure women who took up the offer returned their sample.
'Substantial numbers accepted (an opportunistic offer) or ordered (sent a letter) a kit but did not return a sample and over a quarter of those whose self-sample was HPV positive did not follow through with a clinician sample,' the authors added.
They suggested that text or phone reminders 'could be valuable'.
Senior researcher, Professor Peter Sasieni from Queen Mary University of London, said: 'Our study showed that offering a self-sample kit in person was the most effective method of encouraging women to complete their cervical cancer screening tests.
But he said that a 'combination of approaches may be best for enabling more women to participate in cervical screening'.
The NHS offers cervical screening tests – previously known as smear tests – to all women aged 25-64 every three years.
But many people do not take up the offer, with a number citing a lack of time, discomfort or embarrassment.
Data published by the NHS last November showed five million women are not up to date with routine check-ups.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trial assesses blood test that could detect 10 cancers in earliest stages
The test, known as Enlighten and developed by Proteotype Diagnostics, looks for certain proteins in the blood which indicate that the immune system is responding to the first signs of the disease. It is also being assessed to see if it can identify which type of cancer a patient has. The Modernised trial, led by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, is aiming to recruit 1,000 patients, with 450 already taking part. Experts will take samples from people with 10 solid tumour types, including bladder, breast, lung, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and renal. It will also include patients with colorectal tumours and melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Experts claim Enlighten is different to other blood tests being trialled to detect different cancers. Professor Andy Davies, director of the Southampton Cancer Research UK and National Institute for Health and Care Research Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, said: 'Most current research into multi-cancer blood tests is focused on detecting abnormal DNA that has been released into the blood stream by cancer cells. 'But this circulating tumour DNA cannot always be detected in the very early stages of cancer. 'We are instead looking at levels of certain proteins found in blood. 'We know that even in the earliest stages of cancer, the body's immune response can lead to higher levels of these proteins being released, and we believe these may be a good way to test for early signs of the disease.' Ian Robinson, 72, from Fawley in Hampshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer after routine screening and has signed up to take part in the Modernised trial. The grandfather of five said: 'I was sent the NHS bowel cancer screening kit. I think I had done four of these, normally with a negative result, but the most recent one indicated that there was a chance of cancer which was confirmed with a colonoscopy. 'There were no symptoms, no pain, nothing, so you would never know until it was much more advanced and therefore much more difficult to treat. 'Obviously the team here is helping me, so I'm delighted to participate and hopefully help improve the way things are done. 'My mother died from cancer. I now have children and five grandchildren, so yes, research is absolutely vital. The more cancers that can be identified as early as possible, that can benefit future generations, then it's obviously the right way to go.' According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 385,000 new cases of cancer in the UK each year. Dr Victoria Goss, associate professor and head of early diagnosis research at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: 'When cancers are diagnosed later, there are often fewer treatment options available to patients. 'Detecting cancer early means that treatment can begin sooner, increasing the chances of successful outcomes for patients. 'Improving early diagnosis is therefore a priority for us as researchers and for the NHS. 'But currently there are only four screening programmes in the UK and screening is only for one cancer at a time, so we are aiming to develop simple tests that can potentially pick up the signs of multiple cancers, giving the best possible chance of early, successful treatment.' Dr Emma Yates, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Proteotype Diagnostics, said preliminary studies show Enlighten ' has high levels of accuracy for picking up cancer in its very early stages'. She added: 'We are now working with Professor Davies and the team at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to test it in a much larger group of people to see whether it may be a useful early diagnostic tool.' The Modernised trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation programme and the Office for Life Sciences. It is running at five hospital sites in Hampshire and Dorset, and is soon to open in Manchester. Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, head of research communications and engagement at the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: 'Early detection is our best weapon against breast cancer – fundamental to saving more lives from this devastating disease. 'And this exciting early research could have the future potential to help diagnose breast cancer earlier and faster in the future. 'While we wait to see the results from this trial, there are a few simple things people can do to detect breast cancer sooner. This includes regularly checking your breasts and getting any new or unusual changes checked out by a GP and attending breast screening appointments when invited.'


Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Study to understand needs of children seeking help from NHS gender clinics
Academics are to study thousands of children who seek support from gender identity services run by the NHS in the largest study of its kind. Experts said there is 'limited evidence about how best to support young people who experience gender incongruence', with previous studies looking at fewer children and research teams reporting high dropout rates among those involved in the studies. Academics from King's College London will track up to 3,000 children who seek help through NHS Children and Young People's Gender Services, with recruitment expected to start in the autumn. The announcement comes following the Cass Review of NHS gender identity services last year which concluded children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care. The new research project, dubbed Pathways Horizon, will track the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children seeking help from NHS gender services over a number of years. It could highlight differences among children with autism and ADHD, and potential differences among those seeking care based on their gender at birth. 'There have been an increase of about 20-fold in the number of children and young people presenting to gender services in the UK,' said chief investigator of the study Emily Simonoff, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. 'That's actually an international trend in other high-income countries in Europe, the US and Australia, and we don't fully understand why. 'We know that there are differences in the children and young people who are presenting to services. And, most notably, that there's a marked increase in the number of birth-registered females who are presenting to services. 'That means that we need to collect evidence about what are the care and support needs for the group of children, young people who are currently attending services. And that's what Pathways aims to do.' She added: 'There's been a real shift in the number of referrals over the last 10 or 15 years, and what was considered a rare problem 15 years ago is now much more common, and there's a recognition that there needs to be substantial, large-scale research that can address some of the important questions.' Under-18s involved in the study and their parents will complete a series of questionnaires which will focus on gender identity; physical and mental health; quality of life and wellbeing. The surveys will also ask children how they feel about their bodies, their relationships and their school life. They will be tracked for a number of years and their information will be linked to their health and education records. The study is an observational study, which means the research team will track children over time without changing any elements of their care. Dr Michael Absoud, deputy chief investigator from King's College London, said: 'We hope to understand how different types of support, whether it be it psychological, medical, educational, social, can best promote young people's well being. 'Ultimately, our goal is to help in shaping the future services to help children, improve child health, support families and also clinicians working with services in the UK, to make more informed, compassionate and personalised decisions grounded in good evidence and data, and shaped by the voices of those affected.' Professor Richard Emsley, study statistician from King's, said: 'We're describing the young people coming to the service and the experiences that they've had much more comprehensively than other studies have done. 'This will include adverse childhood experiences, social transitioning, neurodiversity such as autism and ADHD, and mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, eating problems and difficulty managing emotions.' Puberty blockers are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria following a ban. Plans remain in place to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers in children, although no patients have yet been recruited while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited. Experts from the new trial expect some of the children they will study will be part of the puberty blocker trial. The studies will be 'linked' but will run independently. Two children's gender hubs, led by London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, opened in April 2024. This followed the closure of the gender identity development service run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. A third service opened in Bristol last November while another is planned for the east of England and is expected to open soon.

Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Trial assesses blood test that could detect 10 cancers in earliest stages
The test, known as Enlighten and developed by Proteotype Diagnostics, looks for certain proteins in the blood which indicate that the immune system is responding to the first signs of the disease. It is also being assessed to see if it can identify which type of cancer a patient has. The Modernised trial, led by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, is aiming to recruit 1,000 patients, with 450 already taking part. Experts will take samples from people with 10 solid tumour types, including bladder, breast, lung, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, oesophageal and renal. It will also include patients with colorectal tumours and melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Experts claim Enlighten is different to other blood tests being trialled to detect different cancers. Professor Andy Davies, director of the Southampton Cancer Research UK and National Institute for Health and Care Research Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, said: 'Most current research into multi-cancer blood tests is focused on detecting abnormal DNA that has been released into the blood stream by cancer cells. 'But this circulating tumour DNA cannot always be detected in the very early stages of cancer. 'We are instead looking at levels of certain proteins found in blood. 'We know that even in the earliest stages of cancer, the body's immune response can lead to higher levels of these proteins being released, and we believe these may be a good way to test for early signs of the disease.' Ian Robinson, 72, from Fawley in Hampshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer after routine screening and has signed up to take part in the Modernised trial. The grandfather of five said: 'I was sent the NHS bowel cancer screening kit. I think I had done four of these, normally with a negative result, but the most recent one indicated that there was a chance of cancer which was confirmed with a colonoscopy. 'There were no symptoms, no pain, nothing, so you would never know until it was much more advanced and therefore much more difficult to treat. 'Obviously the team here is helping me, so I'm delighted to participate and hopefully help improve the way things are done. 'My mother died from cancer. I now have children and five grandchildren, so yes, research is absolutely vital. The more cancers that can be identified as early as possible, that can benefit future generations, then it's obviously the right way to go.' According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 385,000 new cases of cancer in the UK each year. Dr Victoria Goss, associate professor and head of early diagnosis research at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: 'When cancers are diagnosed later, there are often fewer treatment options available to patients. 'Detecting cancer early means that treatment can begin sooner, increasing the chances of successful outcomes for patients. 'Improving early diagnosis is therefore a priority for us as researchers and for the NHS. 'But currently there are only four screening programmes in the UK and screening is only for one cancer at a time, so we are aiming to develop simple tests that can potentially pick up the signs of multiple cancers, giving the best possible chance of early, successful treatment.' Dr Emma Yates, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Proteotype Diagnostics, said preliminary studies show Enlighten ' has high levels of accuracy for picking up cancer in its very early stages'. She added: 'We are now working with Professor Davies and the team at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to test it in a much larger group of people to see whether it may be a useful early diagnostic tool.' The Modernised trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation programme and the Office for Life Sciences. It is running at five hospital sites in Hampshire and Dorset, and is soon to open in Manchester. Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, head of research communications and engagement at the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: 'Early detection is our best weapon against breast cancer – fundamental to saving more lives from this devastating disease. 'And this exciting early research could have the future potential to help diagnose breast cancer earlier and faster in the future. 'While we wait to see the results from this trial, there are a few simple things people can do to detect breast cancer sooner. This includes regularly checking your breasts and getting any new or unusual changes checked out by a GP and attending breast screening appointments when invited.'