Column Council: launch of HPV tests in Quebec will be an important step

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It’s no secret that women and their needs are too often overlooked when it comes to health care. Various studies have concluded that female patients are continuously gaslighted about his physical and mental health.

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That said, the recent announceThe fact that it would begin using human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as its primary screening tool for cervical cancer signals an important step forward for women’s health.

Around the world, more than 95 percent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV. Cervical cancer is almost completely preventable and highly treatable if caught early. Historically, a Pap smear, more commonly known as a Pap smear or Pap smear, has been used to screen for both HPV and cervical cancer. It has gained wide acceptance as a clinical tool for early cancer detection, and this is the test currently used in Quebec. However, unlike newer technology such as HPV testing, Pap tests do not directly diagnose HPV or cervical cancer. The Pap test detects abnormalities in the cells of the cervix, alerting medical professionals to investigate further and determine if they are precancerous, while the HPV test is based on DNA or mRNA and looks for certain strains of virus in the displayed, which increases its accuracy. making it a more reliable medical tool.

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While both tests involve some type of insertion into the vagina, the HPV test is much less invasive and can potentially be self-administered. This means offering women greater autonomy and agency in their own health care. Self-administration is also of particular value to women who are survivors of sexual assault, for whom a gynecological exam may be causing them to avoid gynecological care; this would apply even more to women who have been assaulted by their gynecologists. What others may see as a simple examination can be traumatic for those who have been victimized.

So where can those who want them get access to these tests? The government has not yet provided any details. In making its announcement in May, the Health Ministry said an implementation plan would be released later. This has caused confusion both among women hoping to have access to these tests and among doctors hoping to offer them, leaving doctors to say that they were not even properly informed of the government’s plan to start using HPV tests.

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Once implementation begins, one might expect self-administration and administration by physicians to be given equal priority. Among other benefits of self-testing, the kits can be discreetly delivered by mail to those who need them, or even offered at colleges or community centers.

However, Quebec has indicated that the test will not yet be offered for self-administration, in part because certain federal approvals have not yet been received. However, earlier this year, the Estrie region launched a pilot project where participants were mailed kits that enabled 400 women to be tested for the presence of HPV. Another pilot project is underway in British Columbia.

Access to health care, HPV related or not, can be too difficult in this country, even in Quebec. The shift to HPV testing and away from Pap tests will make care more accessible, especially once self-screening becomes available, something that would go a long way toward offering more health care autonomy to women in Montreal and in other parts of the province. And it would be a step toward a future in which women have adequate access to the health products and services they need.

Monique Kasonga is a contributor to the McGill Tribune. This column is the result of a collaborative discussion with other current or recent journalism students participating in this four-week series from the Montreal Gazette Column Council. They are Sepideh Afshar, Renaud Chicoine-McKenzie, sophie dufresne, Dima Kiwan and Gabriela Vasquez-Rondon.