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Self-collection for early detection: New steps in cervical cancer screening will help save lives

January 13, 2025
By Marco Campana, Knowledge Mobilization and Social Action Coordinator, Access Alliance

January is cervical cancer awareness month - campaign image from Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team with additional text from us

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Regular cervical screening can save lives. It can catch early signs of cervical cancer, before symptoms appear. If you’re overdue for a cervical screening test, reach out to your doctor or nurse practitioner today.  

Getting tested  

The Pap test (also known as the Pap smear) is the most common way to get tested.  

Talk to your healthcare professional about getting the Pap test done.   

Need support? Don’t have a doctor? Our Open Door Program brings important health information, resources and support directly to residents living in high-priority neighbourhoods in Toronto. We can help you find a doctor, community resources, services and other health support. We can even help you book a test in a Pap clinic if you do not have a doctor.

Contact the Open Door program at info.opendoor@accessalliance.ca  

Accessible testing is important for immigrant and refugee women  

Making a cervical cancer screen test more accessible is essential. Dr. Mandana Vahabi recently wrote in an OpEd that another way of testing is crucial to preventing cervical cancer – human papillomavirus (HPV) screening (not currently offered in Ontario). Early detection is important to save lives. We know that, compared to other groups, immigrant and Indigenous women have lower rates of cervical cancer screening. This is true at both the national and provincial levels.  

As Dr. Vahabi writes “implementing innovative and effective population-based HPV screening can bridge the gap to life-saving preventive care. This screening method, which identifies the viral cause of cervical cancer, can be enhanced by offering the option of self-collection, a safe and effective alternative to clinician-collected samples. This allows women to perform the procedure at both a time and a place that are convenient for them.”  

In our 2022 study, Addressing Cervical Cancer Screening Inequity among Newcomer Women via HPV Self-Sampling, we found that many newcomer women faced stigma about sexual health from their communities, families, and social circles. This often stopped them from seeking regular screening. Many participants feared cervical cancer screening. They lacked knowledge about cervical cancer and the Canadian healthcare system. There was also a lack of accessible, culturally sensitive, and linguistically available information. Access to language interpretation, childcare, transportation, and the consistent availability of female physicians were also barriers.  

Ontario will adopt HPV as the primary test for cervical cancer in spring 2025. A self-collection option needs to be available to help make cervical cancer screening more accessible and equitable.   

We know that culturally appropriate HPV self-sampling kits and education will help. Also, trauma-informed, gender-sensitive care is needed. These will increase cervical cancer screening in under- or never-screened immigrants.  

Resources to use and share  

To share information with your community you can download and print our Myths vs Facts about Cervical Cancer Screening sheet.   

Myths vs Facts about Cervical Cancer Screening sheet

This fact sheet is available in the following languages/sizes:  

  1. 8.5×11″ (letter size paper) – Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Tigrinya.  
  2. 8.5×14″ (legal size paper) – Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Tigrinya.  

You can also print the QR code sheet for all languages to post in your community centre, office, or waiting room. Clients can scan and read each fact sheet on their mobile device, in their preferred language.  

If you would like to learn more about your risk of cervical cancer, visit MyCancerIQ and for information about cervical cancer screening visit Cancer Care Ontario

The Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team (our Open Door partner) is sharing social media posts promoting cervical cancer screening throughout the month of January. Be sure to follow their social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook) and learn more. 

Contact our Open Door program for more information about cervical cancer screening at info.opendoor@accessalliance.ca