Single Visit Clinical Validation of ScreenFire, a Low-Cost HPV Test: Efficacy and Cost Effectiveness (Phase 2)

In high-income countries, prevention strategies have led to declines in cervical cancer rates by more than 75% in high-income countries. In contrast, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) carry the global burden of cervical cancer with about 85% of new cases and 90% mortality. Screening is an essential component of effective prevention to reduce this disease burden. The World Health Organization recommends human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the most effective screening method. However, HPV testing can be expensive and complex to implement. Most tests require central laboratory processing, which means women must come back for a different visit to obtain results and potential treatment. In LMICs, this often results in high loss to follow up because many women face transportation and other challenges. The development of new, low-cost HPV tests that can be processed locally as the potential to improve adherence in screening programs. In this study, the research team will assess the feasibility of a same-day screen-and-treat approach compared to the standard two-visit regime in the context of the cervical cancer prevention program in El Salvador. This will be a cross-sectional study that will enroll 1,000 women in remote areas of the country over 10-15 weeks. The hypothesis is that at least 10% fewer women lost to follow-up at six months using the single visit approach compared to the >20% historical loss to follow-up using the standard two-visit approach.