Shanxi Province cervical cancer screening study II: Self‐sampling for high‐risk human papillomavirus compared to direct sampling for human papillomavirus and liquid based cervical cytology

. The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of a new method for self‐sampling for high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) with direct sampling and liquid based cervical cytology. In Shanxi Province, China, 8,497 women (ages 27–56) underwent a self‐sample for HPV using a conical‐shaped brush placed into the upper vagina and rotated. Three to sixteen months later the women were screened with liquid‐based cytology and direct HPV tests. Subjects with any abnormal test underwent colposcopy and multiple biopsies. Mean age was 40.9 years. 4.4 percent of subjects had ≥CIN II, 26% a positive self‐sample and 24% a positive direct test for HPV. The sensitivity for detection of ≥CIN II was 87.5% for self‐sampling, and 96.8% for the direct test (P CIN II was 88.3% and the specificity was 81.2%. We conclude that self‐sampling for HPV is less sensitive for >CIN II than the direct test, but similar to liquid based cytology.