The study aims to find out the viability of HPV self-sampling as a method for cervical cancer screening. You can participate in the study if you do not want to visit a laboratory for traditional screening. The HPV self-sampling method will first be tested in a scientific study setting by voluntary participants. Self-sampling is an option for those who will be screened in 2025 and live in Kanta-Häme, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, Ostrobothnia or Päijät-Häme.
The study on HPV self-sampling involves the participants ordering a self-sampling kit to their home, collecting the sample by themselves and mailing it to Fimlab. The sample will be examined for the high-risk HPV. If the test result is positive and an HPV infection is diagnosed, the participant will be referred to gynaecological screening to receive a more accurate screening sample. See process in brief here (opens as a .pdf-file).
The study aims to find out how viable HPV sampling that you can perform by yourself at home is as a screening method for cervical cancer. The goal is to facilitate women’s participation in screening and increase coverage for cervical cancer screening in the regions where the study will be conducted. The purpose of increased screening coverage is to detect and treat any severe cancer precursor changes in the cervix before they become malignant. If the results of the self-sampling study are encouraging, self-sampling may be offered as a part of screening protocol in the future.
You will not be remunerated for participating in the study. Self-sampling and the following gynaecological screening after a positive HPV detection are free of charge for the participants.
For whom is self-sampling intended?
All women between the ages of 30 and 65 are invited* to take part in cervical cancer screening every five years. The screening is traditionally performed by a healthcare professional who collects a screening sample. Screening is an easy way to detect any cellular changes before they develop into cancer. Screenings have reduced the occurrences of cervical cancer by 80% in Finland.
* Fimlab receives information of those invited to the screening from the Finnish Cancer Registry’s Mass Screening Registry and invites them to the examination with a personal invitation letter. The invitation letter cannot be sent to people under a non-disclosure for safety reasons. Instead, these people need to contact Fimlab’s customer service. The screening examination is free of charge.
HPV self-sampling can also be used as a method of screening according to the latest quality recommendation on screening. Fimlab is involved in the study with the aim to find out the viability of HPV self-sampling as a screening method, as well as its impact on screening participation.
Self-sampling for the study will take place in 2025. Anyone who will be screened in 2025, lives in Pirkanmaa, Kanta-Häme, Central Finland, Ostrobothnia or Päijät-Häme, and has not gone to screening yet can participate in the study. Those who are eligible to participate in the HPV self-sampling study will receive information about it personally through a reminder invitation letter.
Please note that it is not possible to take a control sample using the self-sampling method for individuals who remained in the risk group during the previous screening year (2024).
The HPV self-sampling kit will not be sent to anyone ordering it who does not live in the Wellbeing Services Counties partaking in the study, does not belong to the group of people who will be screened in 2025 and/or has already visited a laboratory for screening.
How do I participate in the HPV self-sampling study?
You can order the self-sampling kit by clicking on the link below. Ordering the kit requires strong authentication. First, review the contents of the Consent to participate in the study -document (in Finnish, opens as a .pdf file)
Order the HPV self-sampling kit
When you order the kit, you need to agree to participate in the study and allow your data to be used for research purposes. You can read more information on the study and the use of personal data in the research bulletin (in Finnish, opens as a .pdf-file).
After ordering the kit, we would ask you to fill out a short questionnaire on HPV self-sampling, which aims to find out what made you want to order the kit and how easy it was.
The kit will be delivered to your home by ordinary mail. The kit will include detailed instructions, a sampling stick and a return envelope, which you can use to deliver your sample to Fimlab. The return envelope’s postage is prepaid.
How is HPV self-sampling performed?
Follow the instructions included in the kit and collect the sample from your vagina using the sampling stick. You can read the instructions here (opens as a .pdf file, see page 2).
Fill out the preliminary information form included in the kit and deliver it to the laboratory with your sample. You can also fill out the preliminary information form electronically by clicking on this link (you will need the screening ID included in the kit).
Please note that the kit is intended only for you and your sample.
Collect the sample within three weeks after receiving the kit to ensure that your personal referral in the laboratory is still valid. Take the envelope containing the sample to a mailbox the day after collecting the sample at the latest. Fimlab does not analyse samples that are delivered late.
Please note the following when collecting your sample:
- You cannot collect the HPV self-sample during menstruation.
- Hysterectomy does not prevent self-sampling.
- If you are under any topical treatment (such as vaginal suppositories), be sure to stop using them on the sampling day and the day before, otherwise you can continue using them normally.
- Any hormone replacement therapy does not need to be interrupted.
- Normal pregnancy does not prevent self-sampling until week 35 of pregnancy. During the postpartum period, you can check the instructions for self-sampling with your child health clinic.
- Collect and deliver the sample within 3 weeks after receiving the sampling kit.
How is cervical cancer examined?
70–80% of Finnish women will have an HPV infection at some point in their lives. The high-risk HPV test indicates a prolonged high-risk HPV infection even before the development of microscopic precursor changes. Cell changes indicating cancer precursors can be detected in a Pap smear, so the development of cervical cancer can be prevented with treatment.
Examination results
Fimlab will send a written test result to everyone who has participated in the HPV self-sampling study within two months after the sample has been delivered. If the results indicate an HPV infection, Fimlab will send you instructions on how to apply for further screening. Self-collected HPV samples cannot be analysed sufficiently to assess the need for further treatment, for which reason anyone with a positive HPV result should seek gynecological sampling after receiving their results.
After delivering your sample, you will receive a link to a short questionnaire to find out how well the HPV self-sampling worked, whether the instructions were clear, and any experiences related to the participation.
Compiling data to the Mass Screening Registry of the Finnish Cancer Registry
Fimlab will send a summary of its screening examinations of cervical cancer to the Mass Screening Registry of the Finnish Cancer Registry, which compiles data on the mass screening activities across Finland. Compiling the data is based on the law. The summary will also be sent to the municipality that ordered the service. Any personal examination results will not be included in the summary sent to the municipalities.
