The cost of cervical cancer care in 2020 was $2.3 billion [1]. Cervical cancer is preventable and curable with early detection and effective management. Yet, about 1 in 4 women in the US are behind on their screenings [2]. This isn’t because women don’t care about their health—it’s because traditional screening practices remain inaccessible to many women. Addressing this challenge is key for health plans, as it is significantly less expensive to treat cervical cancer when caught in early stages versus later stages.
Check out our interview with Tiffany Liles, FNP-BC, Provider Team Lead at LetsGetChecked, to learn more about the importance of accessible HPV screening and how our solution is helping break down the barriers that prevent women from getting the care they need.
What is cervical cancer, and why is HPV screening important?
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus. High-risk HPV (human papillomavirus) causes about 95% of cervical cancers [3]. While cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death in American women, the incidence of cervical cancer has declined significantly thanks to timely screening [4]. Unfortunately, over the past few years, screening has been on the decline, and cervical cancer rates are rising.
Regular and accessible HPV screening is important because it supports proactive health management, which contributes to improved outcomes and lower long-term healthcare costs. Treating cervical cancer is generally less costly when diagnosed and treated at an earlier stage. Early detection allows for more targeted and less invasive treatments, leading to lower overall costs compared to treating advanced-stage cancer. The average per-patient medical service cost was highest for the end-of-life phase ($97,000), followed by the initial care phase ($58,700) and continuing care phase ($4,000) [5].
What are the major barriers preventing women from accessing HPV screening?
HPV screening saves lives, yet preventable diagnoses and deaths are still happening. Barriers that may cause women to avoid routine screening include:
- Stigma: Although HPV is very common, it remains stigmatized, which can deter women from engaging in regular screening.
- Discomfort: Traditional pap smears can be a painful and uncomfortable experience due to the speculum, causing some women to avoid screening.
- Knowledge and awareness: Many women lack sufficient knowledge about HPV, cervical cancer, and the importance of screening. We are also seeing women decline screening if they've received the HPV vaccine and don't believe they need routine testing. While the HPV vaccine protects against some types of HPV, it doesn't protect against them all, and no vaccine is 100% effective.
- Time constraints and transportation: Many women report that busy schedules, work obligations, and a lack of childcare or transportation can make it difficult to find time to make screening appointments. These challenges are often exacerbated in rural areas, where fewer than half of all women live within a 30-minute drive of an OBGYN [6]
- Lack of healthcare access: Women in more rural or remote areas can face more challenges accessing healthcare.
- Cost: Women who are lower-income often face healthcare barriers such as limited resources, provider shortages, and less access to preventive care.
At-home sample collection addresses these barriers and helps make cervical cancer screening more accessible. It is an important option that can improve engagement in life-saving preventive care.
How can LetsGetChecked’s HPV Testing Program improve accessibility?
LetsGetChecked’s HPV Testing Program enables patients to easily and conveniently collect their sample and receive lab results from home. It facilitates screening of populations who may not otherwise engage with HPV screening, whether due to access to facilities, discomfort with in-office procedures, scheduling, or time constraints..
Research completed by LetsGetChecked in partnership with The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., University of Washington, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides further support that HPV screening can be performed with high accuracy on vaginal swabs that are self-collected remotely from the testing site [7]. While home-collected samples cannot replace the need for healthcare provider encounters, their use can greatly expand access and facilitate more efficient clinical encounters by providing HPV screening results in advance.
How can LetsGetChecked’s HPV Testing Program help health plans and providers reach women with the care and insights they need?
LetsGetChecked’s HPV Testing Program helps identify cervical cancer early, saving both lives and costs. Our solution provides patients with the information and insights needed to make decisions around management and care.
We partner with health plans and providers to help meet hard-to-reach populations with a full-service solution, from lab testing to patient engagement for positive results. Our fully-owned infrastructure allows us to build flexible programs and workflows that align with client goals and deliver solutions optimized for your people.
Our accessible solution changes outcomes for women impacted by HPV. It addresses the common reasons women delay this preventive health screening, empowering women to self-collect their samples in the privacy of their own homes, on their schedules, with the virtual support of our clinical experts.
Learn more about how our HPV testing program can impact your population today.
References
- https://progressreport.cancer.gov/after/economic_burden
- https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/overdue-cervical-cancer-screening-increasing
- https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/GO.20.00286
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/cervical-cancer.html#
- https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2014/02/health-disparities-in-rural-women
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525157824000552
