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As 2025 comes to a close, I have been reflecting on medical advances that offer reason for hope. One area that stands out is cervical cancer screening, which is about to become more accessible and effective.
This month, the American Cancer Society formally incorporated self-testing into its official screening recommendations for this form of cancer. The change marks a major shift and reflects how advances in testing technology can help reach women deterred by traditional screening.
For decades, cervical cancer screening has relied on the Pap smear, a test designed to detect precancerous changes in cervical cells before cancer develops. However, the procedure requires an in-office pelvic exam, which many women find uncomfortable, inconvenient and stressful.
As a result, screening is often delayed or skipped altogether, with tragic consequences. Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable with regular screening, yet about 13,000 women in the United States are diagnosed each year, and roughly 4,000 die from the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than half of all new cervical cancers are diagnosed in women who have never been screened or have not received screening in the previous five years.
In recent years, clinicians have been looking for alternatives to the Pap smear. Instead of testing for abnormal cells after the precancerous changes have already begun, a better method is to focus on its primary cause: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is responsible for more than 90 percent of cervical cancers. Tests for the virus are more sensitive than the Pap test alone and better at identifying higher-risk patients.
The American Cancer Society first updated its guidelines to recommend HPV testing as the preferred screening method in 2020, though that still requires a pelvic exam in a clinician’s office. Now, thanks to improvements in diagnostic testing, women can collect a vaginal sample themselves using a small swab, which is then sent to a lab for testing. The process is straightforward and can be done in a clinic or at home.
A wealth of research — including multiple studies conducted across different countries — supports the accuracy and ease of these self-sampling kits. A May 2025 paper published in JAMA Network Open, for instance, analyzed tests from nearly 600 women in the U.S., who provided both a self-collected vaginal sample and one collected by a clinician. The researchers found that self-obtained samples were just as effective at detecting high-risk HPV as those obtained during a pelvic exam.
The American Cancer Society’s updated guidelines reflect the evolving scientific consensus: Screening with an HPV test collected by a clinician every five years remains the preferred option. However, for the first time, they also recognize self-collected HPV testing as an acceptable alternative, which can be done every three years using a test ordered by a health care provider. Other options remain available, including HPV and Pap testing together every five years or a Pap test alone every three years. The goal is to give women more ways to get screened without lowering the bar for detection.
Importantly, self-collection is an option, not a requirement. Many women will still prefer in-office screening, which offers its own advantages, including the chance to address other health concerns and maintain an ongoing relationship with their gynecologist or primary care physician.
Moreover, not all women are eligible for self-collection, which is intended only for women who already meet standard screening criteria — generally those 25 and older who have not had prior abnormal results or symptoms that could signal cervical cancer, such as unexplained vaginal bleeding. It’s also worth underscoring that screening works best alongside prevention: The HPV vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing infection with cervical cancer-causing viruses.
It’s too early to know how many women will ultimately choose self-collection. But given how many women forgo screening for preventable cervical cancer, the value of expanding options is hard to overstate. It’s even more important given that millions of Americans are at risk of losing health insurance. What a shame that medical innovations are needed not just to advance care, but to plug gaps created by policy decisions that restrict access.
The post Good news! Women can now test themselves for cervical cancer. appeared first on Washington Post.
