Newer way to test for HPV

PETALING JAYA: A change in the mindset of women and Malaysians as a whole is needed to ensure that a newer way to test for human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the main cause of cervical cancer, becomes widely accepted.

Rose (Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening) Foundation medical technical adviser Prof Dr Woo Yin Ling (pix) said yesterday a pap smear is still the preferred method for doctors to administer cervical cancer screening but people may change their minds when they use the swab.

“You need trust, education and preparedness for the people to want to make that change.

“But it has already begun, with the Health Ministry issuing guidelines to change from pap smear to HPV testing using the swab, and the Women, Family and

Community

Development Ministry plans to do that in 10 years,“she said at a press conference after launching the Rose Foundation and Laboratory.

She said the HPV test is effective and accurate as the swab can be kept up to two weeks.

With the establishment of a local laboratory, the test can be done faster as well.

“It is also secure as the test results are sent directly to the women’s mobile phones,” Woo said.

“This feature helps ensure that those with a positive test result will be linked to a government hospital with appropriate expertise for follow-up.”

With cervical cancer being the third most common cancer among Malaysian women and also one of the leading causes of death among Malaysian women, it is imperative that this disease is detected early and adequately treated, she said.

She said 8,000 women have gone through Rose Foundation’s screening programme.

As of Jan 31, 7% of them tested positive for HPV and have received follow-up care from hospitals.

“For B40 women who go to a health clinic and take a test swab, it is free, while other women who would like to try to use the test swab will have to pay a RM250 fee for our swab test kit to support our social enterprise model,” Woo said.

She also said a barrier the foundation faces is to invite women to do cervical cancer screening tests.

“It is not just a test, but a programme that guarantees women that they can come for the test and stay to observe the results.

“If they are clear of HPV, they only need to do another test in 10 years,” she said. – by Cindi Loo