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The National Board of Health and Welfare decided this summer, in light of the pandemic, to allow regions to offer women HPV self-tests if they are unable to perform a traditional cervical cancer screening test.
– The regions have had difficulties to carry out the screening in the usual way. Partly because of the relocation of resources, but also because more people have been absent for fear of infection, says Mattias Fredricsson, unit manager for the National Board of Health and Welfare.
A survey by TT shows that only seven out of 21 regions in the country offer HPV self-tests to some degree. Several regions say they do not have the ability to perform self-tests, while others say they pass the test in the traditional way.
“No compensation”
However, Åsa Mörner, a midwife and member of the federal board of the Healthcare Association, is clear that screening is one thing and self-assessment is another.
– A self-test is in no way a substitute for detection. The HPV test only shows if the person is a carrier of the HPV virus, it does not test for cell changes, she says.
TT: What is the risk if you take time before testing or getting an answer?
– That you have time to develop cancer. It is impossible to know how long it takes.
“Big difference”
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a collective name for several viruses. Some cause warts, others can cause cancer in the long term. Since August 1, HPV vaccination has been included in the general childhood vaccination program.
– Since the controls were introduced in the 1960s, the number of cervical cancer cases has more than halved. It’s a drastic difference, a huge difference, says Åsa Mörner.
She thinks the regions have “little to work with” when it comes to health care, but mainly calls for national governance.
– You should not be at a higher risk of cancer if you live in Norrbotten than in Skåne, for example, you should feel safe in Sweden, that you receive adequate care. If you miss these women for several months, then perhaps some of them have already developed cancer.
“A tool”
Mattias Fredricsson says that the use of the HPV self-test depends on the regions, but emphasizes that the most important thing is that the detection works.
– This is a help, first of all we care that the test is done, how it is less important. If you can screen in the usual way, you should. At the same time, very little time has passed, some of the regions have not yet had time to introduce self-testing. And we haven’t had the chance to follow up either, he says.
Marcus Alexandersson / TT
Blekinge: No. “Hope in late fall.”
Dalarna: Yes, since September 2019. 741 self-assessments have been submitted.
Gotland: No. “Not in the near future.”
Gävleborg: No. “It is not clear when I could get rid of him.”
Halland: Yes, since May 2018. Just under 2,000 tests have been submitted.
Jämtland Härjedalen: No. “I hope to start in the fall.”
Jönköping: Yes, in a small pilot study.
Kalmar: No. “Hopefully in the fall.”
Kronoberg: No. “At the earliest after the turn of the year.”
Norrbotten: No. “It aims to introduce it in the fall.”
Skåne: Yes, since 2017.
Stockholm: Yes, since 2019. 34,000 test kits have been shipped.
Södermanland: No. “Not now.”
Uppsala: No. “I hope to have it ready after New Years.”
Värmland: No. “There is currently no time frame for when that can happen.”
Västerbotten: No. “I hope to be up and running by the turn of the year.”
Västernorrland: No. “Not current yet.”
Västmanland: No. “I hope to have it up and running in December.”
Västra Götaland: Yes. “Reviewing the possibility to extend the self-test.”
Örebro: No. “Hopefully from the turn of the year.”
Östergötland: Yes, on a small scale since August.
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