New Survey Finds People Are Skipping Their HPV Screening Appointments, Increasing Risk for Cervical Cancer

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. (January 9, 2025) – BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced the results of a new survey revealing that 60% of women in the UK have delayed having a gynaecology visit, with many highlighting the need for greater convenience, comfort and ease for this critical cervical cancer screening process. 

According to the survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 500 adult women in the U.K. in November 2024, despite 65% of women understanding that cervical cancer is preventable with regular screenings, 60% reported having delayed a gynaecology visit with 61% saying it was due to fear or discomfort and 44% citing scheduling-related challenges. 40% indicated that they have no idea how often they are supposed to get screened for cervical cancer.

“The fact that women are skipping this potentially life-saving screening due to fear or scheduling makes it clear that the health industry needs to make the process more comfortable and convenient,” said Dr. Jeff Andrews, a board-certified OB/GYN physician and vice president, Medical Affairs at BD. “Self-collection of vaginal samples reduces both the discomfort and time associated with a pelvic exam and is a critical step forward in cervical cancer screening.”

Desire for Better Testing Options 

The new study found that 81% of women want more comfortable and less invasive HPV/cervical cancer testing options versus a pelvic exam, with 78% indicating interest in using a self-collection vaginal swab test at the doctor’s office in place of a doctor using a speculum to collect a sample from their cervix. 77% are interested in having an option for self-collection at home.

The survey found that while 57% of women said that they are very or somewhat knowledgeable about what HPV is, 93% are not aware that Pap tests are not the most accurate test for detecting cervical cancer and 58% are unaware that women aged 30-65 do not need a cervical cancer screening test every year. Current guidelines suggest that, for women and people with a cervix aged between 25-49, screening should be every three years and, for women and people with a cervix aged between 50-64, screening should be every five years, if previous results were normal.

“Medical research continues to be focused on finding ‘a cure for cancer,’ but we’re already able to help prevent cervical cancer today,” said Nikos Pavlidis, worldwide president of BD Diagnostic Solutions. “The combination of vaccines, more precise HPV tests and self-collection will be important factors as we work to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health risk.” 

The BD Onclarity™ HPV test is CE-marked for HPV screening for clinician-taken cervical specimens and at-home or in clinic self-collected vaginal specimens. Being able to identify more individual types of HPV means that clinicians can track those types across a patient’s visits to more effectively manage high-risk cases and better guide follow-up for low-risk patients. This targeted approach helps ensure that women and people with a cervix receive the most appropriate care for their situation and avoid return visits to the doctor’s office for invasive tests that may not be necessary.

Guidelines from a growing number of national and international agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO)¹ , the American Cancer Society (ACS)² , Cancer Research UK (CRUK)³  and the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC)⁴  are acknowledging that self-collection for HPV screening could be a viable option within national screening programs to order in increase uptake and provide more choice for women and people with a cervix. Additionally, they press the value of tests that can identify more individual types of HPV.

According to the WHO⁵ , a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide both in terms of incidence and deaths but is preventable with regular screening. The WHO aims to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue by 2030.