# HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening during wartime: a pilot implementation study from a conflict-affected region of Ukraine

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-kovalyov-hpv-self-sampling-zaporizhzhia-2026/  
OnCo record `paper-kovalyov-hpv-self-sampling-zaporizhzhia-2026` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A pilot in Zaporizhzhia region in 2025 that offered women aged 30 to 60 a do-it-yourself HPV test for cervical screening during the war. Almost everyone took part and results came back in about a week.

## Summary

Women aged 30 to 60 living in Zaporizhzhia Oblast were offered HPV testing on self-collected samples, distributed through outpatient clinics, community outreach and refugee centres, between April and December 2025. Samples were analysed locally by PCR with external quality assurance, and women positive for HPV16 or HPV18 were referred straight to colposcopy. The study is registered as NCT07275333.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Journal: BMJ Global Health
- Year: 2026
- DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2026-023478
- Authors: Kovalyov O, Kovalyov K, Deinichenko O, Dillner J, Arroyo Mühr LS
- Findings: 593 women were offered self-sampling and 4 (0.67%) declined; 572 samples were returned and analysed.; 52 of 572 women (9.1%) tested positive for the targeted HPV types, 22 (3.8%) for HPV16 or HPV18.; Median time from sampling to result was 6.3 days; samples went unreturned only in refugee centres.; All women positive for HPV16 or HPV18 were contacted and referred; those who completed follow-up were assessed within 2 months.
- What it means: HPV self-testing can start and keep running in a region under active war, a simpler route than clinic-based smear tests where services and people have been displaced.
- Caveats: A pilot in one region with no comparison group.; Follow-up is reported for those who completed it, not for every referred woman.

## Sources

- BMJ Glob Health 2026: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2026-023478
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42049387/
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07275333: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07275333

## Connected records

- key papers: [Building an Effective International Medical Evacuation Program for Ukrainian Patients With Cancer Amid Prolonged Military Conflict](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-huivaniuk-medevac-ukraine-cancer-2024/)
- cancers: [Cervical cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/cervical/)

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