Would you be more likely to have cervical cancer screening if a kit was mailed to you at home? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Women who were due for cervical cancer screening and were mailed a self-sampling kit at home along with educational materials were more likely to complete screening than those offered educational materials alone and then had to request a kit, a new study found. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, describes the findings.

Nelson: Results were that the amount of screening was 14% higher in the direct mail group than in the opt in group. They tried to look at those that were due for screening, in that they’d had screening before, and they looked at others who were overdue for screening, and the ones that were due for screening that was the advantage of the mail-in kits, but more of them got screened anyway. And it you’re overdue for screening there was definitely also an advantage. So mailing the kits, making it easy to do, increased the rate of screening.  :29

Nelson notes that mail in kits for colorectal cancer screening have also improved screening rates, and predicts that as the technology improves, more and more cancer screenings will likely be accomplished with use of a self-sampling kit. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.