In May 2024, a self-sampling kit named Teal Wand for cervical cancer screening was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The kit enables women to collect cervical samples at home, which can be sent to a lab for testing.

The kit has a 96% accuracy rate, which is comparable to a clinical test. It promises multiple advantages over conventional Pap smear and liquid-based cytology.

• Less painful

• Self-sampling can improve screening coverage

• Convenient, comfortable, and easy to use

The device, which is a tube encasing a cytobrush with a piston, can be inserted via the vagina to the cervix to collect a sample. The kit also contains an instruction manual and a biohazard bag for keeping the sample.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that 70% of women undergo cervical cancer screening at least twice in their lifetime, but data shows two out of three women have never been screened at all.

In LMICs like India, self-sampling kits might prove useful with strategic planning and generating awareness, especially among rural women. A similar kit by the name of Cervicheck (Pragmatech Healthcare Solutions) has been piloted in India, which showed similar accuracy.