Jan. 10, 2024
British Columbia is aiming to eliminate cervical cancer in the province with the launch of Canada’s first at-home self-screening program, Premier David Eby said Tuesday.
The premier said starting later this month B.C. will begin phasing out the pap test for cancer screening in favour of mail-in kits with tests collected by patients.
A localized pilot project that started in 2021 has shown that at-home screening for the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is more effective at finding pre-cancerous lesions and provides patients with fewer barriers compared with the pap test, Eby said.
“Every year about 200 people in our province face the terrifying diagnosis of cervical cancer,” he said at a news conference. “Any time we can prevent someone from facing that diagnosis we’re one step advanced in our goal of improving the health of the whole population in B.C.”