The 4th of March pinpoints a significant date within our calendars. The globally recognised International HPV Awareness Day serves a crucial educational purpose, emphasising the importance of early diagnosis and most significantly, highlighting its direct association with cervical cancer.
Cancer prevention continues as an ongoing target for our scientists and pioneering healthcare professionals. With such a diverse workforce needed to tackle its management, substantial groundwork is needed behind the scenes to develop enhanced treatments, reduce prevalence and improve diagnosis.
Working alongside UK cancer screening programs for over 16 years, facilitating public accessibility and improving routes to diagnosis remains at the core of RDi’s service offering. Our technology and capabilities put us at the forefront of next-generation HPV diagnostics, piloting early diagnosis through the design, distribution, and ongoing management of at-home HPV testing kits.
Why is HPV diagnosis important?
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name given to over 200+ relatively commonly spread viruses, all of which are spread through skin-to-skin or sexual contact. Twelve of these strains are of high-risk, oncogenic, and associated with several papillomavirus-related diseases. Most notably, cervical cancer.
Did you know that 9 out of 10 cervical cancer cases are caused by high-risk HPV infections?
The scary reality is that HPV is also almost entirely asymptomatic. Without routine diagnostic testing, many women are likely unaware until it develops into a more serious or life-threatening diagnosis. As a result, detecting HPV at its early stages is crucial.
Offered every 3 years for women ages 25-64, the NHS cancer screening program is embedded within our primary care. Despite this, around 4.6 million – nearly a third of the female population – are missing their cervical screening appointments.
A lack of general education about HPV, cervical cancer and its essential prevention strategies is an evident contributor to appointment absence. Not to mention appointment anxieties or time constraint-related issues that can influence screening attendance.
The current screening program offers a foundational framework for basic HPV management, however, much still needs to be done to improve screening accessibility, not only through screening frequency but with its availability to the wider population.
Incorporating the at-home HPV test into standard healthcare practice
Success with previous at-home diagnostic tools has inspired a new focus for HPV diagnosis and management. Even before the widespread utilisation of rapid diagnostic COVID-19 tests, we saw notable achievements with remote sample collection kits. Take the FIT kit for the UK bowel cancer screening program 2019 for example, which saw an uptake in sample collection from 59.2% to 67.8%.
Recent US research trials have mirrored similar results for at-home HPV test kits, with kits directly posted to patients shown to significantly improve screening participation.
Users and stakeholders favour at-home testing methods for three core reasons:
- Convenience: At-home sample collection saves time, potential costs, and can be executed outside of standard clinical hours.
- Increased access: At-home diagnostic kits are easily accessible to all, not just the 25-65 age bracket that is eligible to partake in the NHS screening program.
- Early detection: Convenient usage and increased access will in turn facilitate early HPV diagnosis.
Challenges with an at-home HPV test
Despite its explicit benefits, at-home testing for cervical cancer is an undoubtably new concept with several hesitancies. The most notable challenge towards its widespread endorsement centres around user compliance adherence and its effect on sample collection accuracy. Not only does the at-home HPV test rely on correct usage adherence, but kit validity is also a concern.
The US NCI cervical cancer initiative is underway to assess at-home testing as an alternative, reliable diagnostic method. HPValidate offers UK-based research to determine the accuracy of self-testing, with results expected early this year.
This research focuses on the validity of diagnosis between self-tests vs clinician-completed methods. Their success should pave the way for a new transformative route to diagnosis for HPV, increasing regulatory approval for the administration of at-home screening programs throughout the country.
For the at-home HPV test to be successful, rigid regulatory measures must be endorsed throughout the entirety of the process; from sample transportation to preservation and analysis, each stage requires strict regulatory compliance for accurate diagnosis.
A partnership with a trusted UN3373 Category B packaging manufacturer plays an essential role in mitigating such challenges. This will ensure that a deep understanding of biological sample transportation compliance processes is firmly embedded within kit manufacture.
Correct manufacturers must ensure the creation of detailed and clear testing kits, designed specifically for ease of use. This is foundational for user compliance assurance.
However, the success of the at-home HPV test is not solely reliant on the manufacturer and consumer. HPV and cancer awareness campaigns are fundamental for improving public education on the importance of regular screening participation. This is fundamental to driving early HPV diagnosis and encouraging at-home HPV screening.
Empower your health with the RDI HPV collection kit
As the health sector’s technological and diagnostic methods develop, the RDi portfolio continues to expand.
Designed to meet the increasing need for the collection of samples by people in their own homes, RDi have harnessed their automation and data-led technologies to create the next at home HPV collection kit for valid and accurate remote sample collection.
Offering ultimate ease of use from consumer and laboratory analyst, the design encompasses UN3373 category B compliant packaging to ensure the safe transportation of each sample, all testing overseen by our compliance management team.
With our dedication to regulatory compliance and the expertise of our in-house regulatory team, we’re proud to offer the UKCA registered RDi HPV collection kit and a full range of home sampling kits. Our comprehensive technical file management, along with post-market surveillance, ensures that partnering with RDi provides complete peace of mind.
The kit is designed to cater to individual needs. It includes several approved swabs from the world’s leading suppliers, which are selected based on the current validity requirements of laboratories. Additionally, the kit contains clear and concise instructions for correct usage, ensuring that the specimens are collected correctly and efficiently, and providing assurance to both consumers and manufacturers.
Manufacturing up to 150,000 test kits per day, RDi have the technology backing to manage kit fulfilment and supply chain management at a scalable level. With our experience in compliant medical kitting, sample transportation, screening supply chains, and RDi’s trusted direct to patient fulfilment service, we have the potential to truly transform HPV diagnosis.
The healthcare sector is on the cusp of revolutionising HPV and cervical cancer diagnosis and management. Our HPV collection kit capabilities provide an opportunity to improve accessibility for routine diagnosis within the wider population.
To discuss RDi at-home HPV kits and further medical kitting capabilities, get in touch with our team.
