Farhana Sultana
Improving cervical cancer preventive strategies in Australia
Supervisors names: Professor Dallas English (Principal Supervisor), Professor Dorota Gertig, Associate Professor Julie Simpson, Associate Professor Marion Saville and Dr. Julia Brotherton
Screening for cervical cancer reduces its mortality and morbidity. Despite high participation in screening, most cervical cancers occur in non-attendees. HPV self-sampling might improve screening participation by these women. We conducted a randomised trial comparing reminder letters for Pap tests with HPV self-sampling for women who had never been screened or last screened more than five years ago. Participation was higher for women offered HPV self-sampling. These results will lead to improvement in Australia’s cervical cancer screening program.