Self-sampling to detect Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) among women in Bahrain could prove to be instrumental in saving them from cervical cancer, according to a recent research paper.
The ‘Acting on the Call Towards Elimination: Diagnostic Accuracy and Acceptability of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Self-Sampling Versus Clinician-Collected Specimens in Bahrain’ study has been submitted for publication in BMC Women’s Health and is undergoing peer review.
“Cervical cancer remains a significant public health challenge in Bahrain, where screening is largely opportunistic and uptake is suboptimal,” researchers noted in the abstract of the study.
“HPV self-sampling has demonstrated diagnostic accuracy comparable to clinician-collected specimens in multiple settings and may offer a culturally congruent strategy to expand participation in cervical cancer screening, particularly in conservative communities where embarrassment related to intimate examination is a well-documented barrier.
“This study evaluated the feasibility, diagnostic accuracy, and acceptability of HPV self-sampling compared with clinician-collected specimens among women in Bahrain.”
The study was conducted by a group of researchers and medics from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) – Bahrain, Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) and King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) Royal Medical Services.
In addition to corresponding author and RCSI Bahrain professor and family medicine department head Ghufran Jassim, the team included Zainab Al A’ali, Khadija Al Taweel, Deena Dhubaib, Wafa Najem, Fatima Al Hashemi, Rahaf Al Muhanadi, Mahmood Alawainati, Abeer Sowair and Basma Al Ansari.
The study was conducted at KHUH and PHC between July and August last year, among women aged 21 to 65 who visited gynaecology or screening clinics, as well as a selected number of women who were confirmed to be HPV-positive from the colposcopy clinic.
In total, 61 women participated in the study and 53 evaluable paired specimens were available for diagnostic analysis after excluding invalid and missing results.
The clinician-collected reference standard identified seven HPV-positive cases (13.2 per cent). Self-collected specimens achieved a similar identification rate.
Self-sampling instructions were rated as clear by 94.5pc of participants, 80pc found the procedure easy, and only 18.2pc reported discomfort.
More than half of the women (56.4pc) preferred self-sampling for their next screening episode.
No statistically significant associations were found between screening preference and age, education level or HPV vaccination status.
“Self-sampling was broadly acceptable across diverse sociodemographic backgrounds, with privacy and convenience identified as primary drivers,” researchers noted.
“These preliminary findings... highlight the potential of self-sampling as a strategy to expand cervical cancer screening participation in Bahrain, contributing to the WHO 2030 elimination agenda.”
Human Papilloma Virus is the most frequent sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally. In 90pc of cases, the body’s immune system clears the virus naturally within two years without causing any health issues. However, when the infection persists, it can lead to health complications, including cervical cancer.
Bahrain introduced a national policy on HPV vaccination two years ago.
The Health Ministry started campaigns to administer the first dose of a new vaccine against HPV in public and private schools last year.
The vaccine is given to females and males aged 12 to 13.
According to the HPV Information Centre, Bahrain has a population of 410,669 women ages 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
World Health Organisation estimates indicate that every year 21 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 12 die from the disease.
Cervical cancer ranks as the eighth most common cancer among women in Bahrain, especially among those aged 15 to 44.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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