January​ is Cervic​​al Cancer Awarene​​ss Month: a time to remind ourselves of the impor​​tance of cervica​l cancer prevention and screening.​ This month, the BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program is proudly​ celebrating the province’s cervix screening history and the milestones achieved to stop cervical cancer from developing. ​

Cervix scree​ning saves l​ives

Thanks to an organized, population-based cervix screening program, there have been fewer cases of cervical cancer and a reduced number of people dying from cervical cancer over the last 70 years:

• ​The incidence of cervical cancer in BC has fallen by 61.32% since 1955. Without an organized cervix screening program, 35,000 more people would have been diagnosed with cervical cancer in the past 70 years.
  

• The mortality rate of cervical cancer has decreased by more than 77%. If there wasn’t a population-based cervix screening program in BC, 12,416 more people would have died from cervical cancer in the last 70 years.

Laura Gentile, operations director for the BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program, reflect​​s on the p​rogram’s impact: “I’m proud of what we have accomplished and how far we’ve come, but we couldn’t have done it alone. We’re grateful for all the health care providers, patients, provincial partners and community organizations that have contributed to the success of cervix screening in BC.”

A transformatio​n zone: From cytology to HPV primary screening

The path to stopping cervical cancer before it develops and thus improving health outcomes began in 1955, when BC paved the way for cervical cancer screening practices around the world. Seventy years ago, BC Cancer (then known as the British Columbia Cancer Institute) organized the world’s first population-based cancer screening program, following a pilot project led by Dr. H.K. Fidler and Dr. D.A. Boyes that established a systematic population approach to screening for cervical cancer using the Pap test (cytology testing).

Fifty-three years later, Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Global Control of HPV-Related Diseases and Prevention, University of British Columbia, and affiliate scientist at BC Cancer, began to investigate how HPV testing compares to cytology. From 2008 to 2012, Dr. Ogilvie led a randomized controlled trial in BC demonstrating that HPV testing is better than cytology at identifying people at risk of developing cervical cancer. The HPV test is more accurate and does not require cervical cells for testing, meaning patients can wait five years to screen again (compared to three years with cytology testing) and can choose to collect their own vaginal sample for screening.

With research advancements demonstrating that HPV testing is a more effective screening strategy, coupled with a strong drive and commitment to uphold best practices in cervical cancer prevention and increase access to life-saving screening, the BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program began the transition from cytology to HPV testing as the primary screening method in January 2024 – shifting nearly seven decades of practice.

The power t​​​o screen is in yo​ur hands

Led by Laura Gentile and Dr. Lily Proctor, the transition to HPV screening offers an improved test and more accessible screening options centered on the patient’s values, needs and preferences. Patients have more choice on how to collect their sample: they can choose to see a health care provider for a liquid-based cytology (LBC) cervical sample, or if eligible, they can collect their own vaginal sample (known as cervix self-screening). 

“By offering women and people with a cervix more choice on how to get screened, including an option that is more accessible, convenient and comfortable, it’s a leap towards breaking previous barriers to screening.” – Dr. Lily Proctor, medical director, BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program

With cervix self-screening, patients no longer need to see or have a health care provider to access cervix screening. Instead, they can request a self-screening kit from the Cervix Screening Program, which is then sent directly to them. Other benefits include:

• A speculum exam, which many people have found to be uncomfortable or avoided due to personal traumas or cultural factors, is not required because the sample is collected from the vagina.

• It is easy to complete and free of charge.

• Patients do not need to travel, take time off work and/or arrange childcare to visit a clinic to get screened.

• Research shows patient-collected samples are just as accurate as provider-collected samples.
  

Since January 2024, people across BC have been eager to access cervix self-screening and health care providers have been equally supportive – and the numbers prove it. Between February 2024 to November 2025:

• 240,000 cervix self-screening kits were sent to eligible patients.

• 34% of cervix self-screening kit requests were from people who never screened.

• 57% of cervix screens in October 2025 had HPV testing as their primary screening test (both vaginal swab and LBC collection).
  

• 1,621 clinics in BC have vaginal HPV swabs to offer to patients.