The Department of Health and Osakidetza will launch a pilot project before the start of summer to allow women to self-collect samples for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of the cervical cancer screening program. This initiative, a first for the Basque Country, will initially target approximately 1,500 women who have not previously participated in the screening program, with the goal of increasing access and participation. Early detection of cervical cancer is crucial, as the disease is often preventable with regular screening.
The pilot program for self-collection in cervical cancer screening is scheduled to last three months. Following this initial phase, Osakidetza’s Screening Coordination plans to progressively expand the program to the rest of Gipuzkoa and to the other historical territories of Álava and Bizkaia.
Women at the Center of the Project
The pilot project is aimed at women over 30 years of age residing in the Donostialdea and Tolosaldea areas who, despite having been previously invited to participate in the screening, have not yet undergone testing. Participants will receive a personalized invitation letter offering the option of performing the HPV test using a self-collected vaginal sample.
Self-collection is a simple technique that allows women to collect their own vaginal sample at home, safely and privately, for analysis of HPV, which is responsible for the majority of cervical cancer cases.
Along with the screening invitation, women will receive a self-collection kit at their homes, containing a collection device (swab), a sterile tube for depositing the sample, and a sealed container for transport. The kit allows for easy sample collection at home, following the instructions in an informational leaflet. The procedure is painless, quick, and easy to perform, and has been scientifically validated as reliable as sample collection by a healthcare professional.
Once the sample has been collected, it must be delivered to a health center in the area. Subsequently, the results will be communicated to the women through the usual program channels, either via SMS message or by phone.
The primary goal of self-collection is to reduce barriers that women cite for not undergoing routine cervical cancer screening, such as lack of time, discomfort, or difficulty attending appointments, and thereby improve participation in a screening program that contributes to the detection of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can be prevented in up to 80% of cases through regular testing that detects early-stage lesions that may develop into cancer.
The HPV self-collection project in cervical cancer screening is framed within the strategic oncology line of the Basque Health Pact and is part of the strategic objectives of the Basque Oncology Plan 2025-2030.
Basque Country’s Cervical Cancer Screening Program is a National Leader
The cervical cancer screening program in the Basque Country is a pioneer at the state level and one of the international population programs with the highest degree of organizational maturity, serving as a reference in its field.
Throughout its history, the Early Detection Program for Cervical Cancer has demonstrated a reduction in the incidence and mortality of this disease by up to 80%. In the Basque Country, approximately 700 cases of cervical cancer have been detected since 2018. Nearly 60% of these cases were diagnosed in women who did not undergo adequate screening.
The main objective of the screening program is prevention, as early treatment of detected lesions prevents the vast majority of cases from progressing to tumors.
When cancer is detected through screening tests, in more than 75% of cases it is diagnosed in very early stages, which significantly improves prognosis and quality of life. The program is estimated to identify precancerous lesions – alterations that are not yet cancer – in approximately 6 out of every 1,000 women screened. Not participating in the program is the main modifiable risk factor for developing cervical cancer.
Regarding participation in the cervical cancer screening program, the Basque Country stands at around 70% of invited women, a figure aligned with the recommendation of the World Health Organization.
