Cervical Check could offer home HPV test as part of screening 

A proposal to add a self-sampling HPV test to the Cervical Check programme was received in December, and is under “ongoing consideration”, the committee’s work programme update states.

The Cervical Check programme could offer a home test for HPV as part of its screening process, under a move being considered by the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC).

Widening the lower age limits for Bowelscreen testing to 50 instead of 55, and for Breastcheck to 45 from 50 years of age is also being considered.

The committee received 53 proposals last year as part of an annual call for suggestions across all screening services, including heel prick screening for newborns. A call opens today for the next round of submissions.

A proposal to add a self-sampling HPV test to the Cervical Check programme was received in December, and is under “ongoing consideration”, the committee’s work programme update states.

NSAC chair Niall O’Higgins said screening helps people who do not know they are ill.

“Any screening programme really has the obligation to try to improve all the time, on a continuous basis,” Professor O'Higgins said. “A screening programme has to be evaluated continually to improve, it has to be dynamic and changing.”

Prof O'Higgins said NSAC was set up as a direct result of Gabriel Scally’s scoping inquiry around Cervical Check in 2019.

You have the obligation to really try to make sure that it (all screening programmes) works well. And to make sure the citizen is informed of the advantages and also the downsides and disadvantages of screening so they can make an informed choice.

The EU Council is currently preparing cancer screening recommendation updates for member states.

“We are looking at some of those recommendations, particularly with reducing the age for breast-cancer screening to 45,” he said.

“The Government has already committed to extending colorectal cancer screening to ages 55 to 74, and we are now looking at an additional proposal to reduce the age to 50.”

NSAC has been criticised by Rare Disease Ireland for only screening nine conditions through heel prick screening in babies including ADA-SCID added earlier this year.

Proposals were received for an additional nine to be added. All are under review at various stages of a months-long process with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) the nearest to completion.

Prof O’ Higgins said the review is not about chasing numbers as there has to be evidence for benefits of inclusion.

“We have approved ADA-SCID and that is being implemented, and we are hopeful that we will be able to approve more in the very near future,” he said. “We have a group of experts looking into a review of the expansion of newborn bloodspot screening. We hope to have some news about that too shortly.”

NSAC advises the Minister for Health on all new screening proposals and revisions to existing screening programmes.

They are currently seeking government funding to increase the team they work with at health watchdog HIQA (health information and quality authority) to examine evidence around new recommendations.

They are also seeking to fill four voluntary positions on the committee itself, dealing with cancer policy, diagnostic imaging, medico-legal and communications.