Becton Dickson (BD) in partnership with researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Su Clinica, a federally qualified health center with multiple Texas locations, is launching a HPV self-collection screening pilot program aimed at improving cervical cancer screening in underserved communities.
The study will evaluate the effectiveness of self-collected HPV testing in a real-world setting while aiming to identify challenges and solutions for cervical cancer screening in communities with limited healthcare access, BD said in a statement. HPV is the cause of virtually all cervical cancers.
The program will use the BD Onclarity HPV Assay, which received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in May 2024 for self-collection for HPV screening in healthcare settings. The test was designed for HPV primary testing without a traditional Pap smear performed with a speculum; self-collection options in healthcare settings offer less-invasive testing, potentially improving access to cervical cancer screening, BD noted.
The pilot program will be conducted at Su Clinica's locations in Brownsville, Harlingen, Raymondville, and Santa Rosa, TX, with MD Anderson researchers. Anticipating community issues of language and cultural barriers, as well as lack of insurance and financial resources, the program will include bilingual self-collection materials and financial support for uninsured patients, BD noted.
Findings from the study, which is supported by a five-year, $2.5 million state grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, will be used to identify any specific challenges to using the test, such as lack of insurance, limited access to resources, and cultural or language barriers. In turn, the partners hope to develop a blueprint of potential best practices that can be adopted and adapted in other underserved communities, with the goals of reducing cervical cancer rates and healthcare access inequity.
