ATLANTA, Georgia: Women at average risk of cervical cancer now have the option to screen themselves at home instead of undergoing clinic-based exams, under new recommendations from the American Cancer Society (ACS) released.

The guidance follows U.S. regulatory approval of the first at-home human papillomavirus (HPV) screening kit, made by Teal Health, which received the green light from the Food and Drug Administration in May. The test uses a self-collected vaginal swab that women mail to a certified laboratory, replacing the speculum exams long associated with routine cervical cancer checks.

Speculum-based screening remains the preferred method, but the ACS said self-collected samples are an acceptable alternative and could help reach women who avoid in-office testing.

At least partly because speculum exams can be uncomfortable or painful, "half of the women in the U.S. who have cervical cancer did not undergo a screening test in the past ten years," Dr. Diane Harper of the University of Michigan, who has studied vaginal swab effectiveness, said earlier this year.

Updated recommendations published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians aim to improve screening rates and reduce cervical cancer risk, said co-author Dr. Robert Smith, senior vice president of the ACS.

Under the new guidance, women who self-test and receive an HPV-negative result should repeat screening in three years. Those who undergo clinician-collected speculum exams and test negative can wait five years before the next test.

The ACS continues to advise that average-risk patients begin cervical cancer screening at age 25 and receive primary high-risk HPV testing every five years until age 65, when screening may stop if recent tests have been consistently negative.

Cervical cancer cases in the U.S. have dropped by more than half since the mid-1970s due to screening programs, yet more than 13,000 cases are still expected this year, with over 4,000 deaths, according to ACS estimates.

A separate HPV test by Roche, intended for patient use in doctors' offices, was approved in May 2024.

The guideline authors also highlighted the importance of vaccination. HPV immunisation before age 17 — including Merck's Gardasil — is associated with a 90% reduction in cervical cancer risk.