A home kit to detect cervical cancer that avoids having to have smear tests in clinics has been successfully trialled.
They have been tested by more than 5,000 women in Dumfries and Galloway and now doctors are in discussion with the Scottish government about extending the research.
Smear tests are offered every three years under the NHS screening programme but although the checks have saved thousands of lives, some women avoid them because they can be painful and embarrassing. The new method can be done with a simple swab taken from the entrance of the vagina.
Cervical cancer, which killed 88 women in Scotland in 2014, is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can cause changes to the cells in the cervix.
Although almost 400,000 women have smear tests in Scotland every year through the screening programme, only about 70 per cent turn up for checks.
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Dr Heather Currie, a gynaecologist at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, said: “Our current cervical screening programme is very useful but women don’t like the examination and find it uncomfortable. We looked at the results of women taking vaginal swabs themselves and the results were as good as those taken from cervical smears.
“What is so hugely exciting is that it could lead to women being given the option of having a sample taken in the normal way or being offered vaginal sampling.
“It would be perfect for women to be able to do this at home. With smear tests, it’s not just the discomfort, it’s having to make the appointment.”
The study compared the results of the self-test kits with laboratory results on the same women, which showed they were accurate and just as effective in picking up HPV.
Dr Currie added: “We have had a meeting with the Scottish government and we hope that now our first study has been published it will help influence any future decisions about screening.”
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Under the screening system, women found to have abnormal cells are offered further testing and treatment.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “If self-sampling takes away some of the anxiety associated with screening and results in more women being tested that would be hugely positive.
“We would like to see more research exploring its feasibility as part of the NHS programme.”