Catch-up Screen version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Catch-up Screen: A urine test for cervical screening
IRAS ID
320240
Contact name
Clare Gilham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN39222060
Duration of Study in the UK
23 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The “Catch-up Screen” project will offer a catch-up HPV test to women aged 60-79 who have ceased from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme without a primary HPV test. This includes women who had their last screening invitation before the introduction of primary HPV testing in 2019 and women who did not attend for their last test after 2019.
Because HPV is known to cause almost all cervical cancers, testing for HPV will identify women at risk of developing cervical cancer. Unlike traditional screening, which can sometimes be painful or embarrassing, Catch-up Screen offers women the opportunity to provide a urine sample from the comfort of their home for the purpose of detecting the presence of HPV. It is hoped that this will encourage women who were not screened regularly to take part. Women testing HPV positive will be referred for further tests and treatment if necessary.
Catch up screen is funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and aims to screen at least 10,000 women across the Hull and Manchester areas via GP practices. In the first year, the feasibility phase 3,000 women will be invited to test the methodology and determine the uptake, and the second stage will be a wider roll-out inviting about 15,000 women to estimate the rates of pre-cancer detection and cancer prevention. We will also determine whether response rates are higher if the women receive a phone call from their GP surgery after receiving their initial invitation.
Uptake rates, HPV prevalence and diagnoses of pre-cancer and cancer (through linkage to national cancer and death registrations) will aim to discover if at-home urine tests are an effective way to reduce cancer in this older age group.
REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0854
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion