Kaiser Permanente expands access to cervical cancer screening with at-home testing kit

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Kaiser Permanente is offering a cervical cancer screening kit designed to provide a more accessible way for women to get tested, including an option that allows eligible patients to complete the screening at home.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 13,490 new cases of invasive cervical cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that roughly 4,000 women die from cervical cancer annually. Doctors say regular screenings are important for early detection and prevention.

The cervical cancer screening kit is available to women between the ages of 25 and 64. Kaiser Permanente offers both in-clinic and at-home testing methods. Patients who choose the at-home option receive the test kit by mail.

"It's a vial with a Q-Tip. You take the Q-tips, swob, place it into the vagina, put it back in the little specimen container and send it in," said Dr. Amanda Reeve, chief OB-GYN physician at Kaiser Permanente Fresno.

Dr. Reeve said there are two parts to the HPV screening process. After patients return the screening test, results are typically available within a few days. If a result is positive, additional testing is required.

"If any component of that says positive, you actually need a follow-up test. And for that to get the additional screening to make sure that whether you're high risk or how high, we want you to come in for that, it needs to be a cervical specimen," Dr. Reeve said.

She emphasized that a positive result does not necessarily mean a patient has cancer.

"It just means you have a virus that puts you at high risk, and we need to do other tests to decide whether or not you need follow-up," Dr. Reeve said.

Patients interested in the screening can contact their primary care provider or OB-GYN to order the test. Dr. Reeve said patients must meet certain eligibility requirements.

"You need to be a low-risk person, meaning you can't have had other abnormalities in the past, and you also need to not be pregnant. It can't be your first or your last test," Dr. Reeve said.

At Kaiser Permanente in Fresno, Dr. Reeve said the return rate for the screening kits is about 45% to 50%.

In addition to screening, Kaiser Permanente offers other preventive measures aimed at reducing cervical cancer risk, including the HPV vaccine.

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