HPV vaginal self-sampling among women non-adherent to Papanicolaou screening in Chile

Objective. To evaluate acceptance, preference and compliance with referral of vaginal self-sampling for the detection of Human papillomavirus (HPV) among women non-adherent to Papanicolaou (Pap) screening in Santiago, Chile. Materials and methods. Using multistage sampling we identified women aged 30-64 years who reported not receiving a Pap test in the previous three years and offered them Pap testing at the health center or vaginal self-sampling for HPV testing at home. Self-collected samples were analyzed with hybrid capture. All HPV+ women were referred for colposcopy, biopsy and treatment when needed. Results. 1 254 eligible women were contacted; 86.5% performed self-sampling and 8.1% refused; 124 women were HPV+ (11.4%; 95%CI 9.6-13.5) of whom 85.5% attended colposcopy; 12 had CIN2+ ( 1.1%: 95 %CI 0.5-1.7). Conclusion. HPV vaginal self-sampling can be easily implemented in Chile and could improve coverage, successfully reaching women who drop out of the screening program.