Women between 30 and 60 will be sent a self smear test to boost participation in the mass screening for cervical cancer.

The results of the test, which takes place every five years, are as reliable as a pap test from the family doctor, the RIVM health institute said.

It has been possible to request a self-test since 2017, but it will now be sent to all women in the year they turn 30 as standard and to over-35s as an added option.

Cervical cancer, which rarely produces symptoms, most often occurs in women between 30 and 60. A smear test can detect the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can trigger the disease, enabling further treatment to prevent the cancer from developing.

Fewer women have been visiting their doctor to take a smear test in the last few years, with just 44% of women between 30 and 34 participating in 2021. Some women postpone the test because they feel uncomfortable about it and others don’t find time for it, the RIVM said.

55% response

Of all the women who were invited to have the test in 2021, 55% turned up. Some 900 women get cervical cancer each year in the Netherlands and 200 don’t survive. It is estimated that 500 women would die of cervical cancer if mass screening did not take place.

The RIVM’s manager in charge of cervical cancer screening, Sandra van Dijk said she expected the number of women who do the test will increase if they can do it at home.

“All women who turn 30 get the test in the post, then, from 35 they can choose between a self test or have it done at the doctor. If they do not choose either one, they will be sent a kit,” she told broadcaster NOS.

Currently, vaccination against HPV, which includes boys, takes place from the age of 10. While vaccination rates have fallen slightly, some 50% of boys and 60% of girls have had their first vaccination.

Women who have been vaccinated still have to do the pap test because the vaccination does not offer total protection. “If we find the virus, we want to look at the cells too. That can’t be done with a self test and the women will have to go the doctor’s for the regular smear test,” van Dijk said.

The virus is found in 10% of cases but in most cases, there is nothing to worry about, she said. “Screening is aimed at detecting cervical cancer but particularly the early stages, and those cases run into the thousands every year. We can treat that and prevent it from turning onto cancer, so it’s a very effective approach.”