Pain-free smear tests to be rolled out in US in WEEKS - and it's hoped they will slash cervical cancers

Pain-free smear tests to be rolled out in US in WEEKS - and it's hoped they will slash cervical cancers READ MORE: Gynecologist slams the period-syncing 'myth' By Cassidy Morrison Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 17:46 EDT, 16 August 2024 | Updated: 17:57 EDT, 16 August 2024 e-mail View comments Starting this fall, women will have access to a simple swab test for cervical cancer in a major update to women's healthcare. The screening test for cervical cancer, known as a Pap smear, can be so uncomfortable that women avoid going to the doctor because of it.

Around eight million women who should be screened for cancer haven't been to the doctor in the past five years. The delay in care translates to more women unknowingly carrying human papillomavirus ( HPV ), the leading cause of cervical cancer . And the later the diagnosis is made, the more difficult cancer is to treat.

The current in-office procedure involves a device called a speculum, a cold duck bill-shaped metal device that goes into the vagina and widens it to allow the doctor to take a swab of cells on the cervix. In addition to being physically uncomfortable, it can be emotionally distressing, particularly for people who have experienced sexual abuse. But a new model of cervical cancer screening has arrived and allows women to circumvent the speculum entirely .

The newly-approved Roche HPV test allows women to self-swab rather than lay down with legs in stirrups. The sample is sent to a lab which scr.