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National Cervical Screening Programme

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018

Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Ceisteanna (766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771)

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

766. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to move the cervical screening process to a HPV test; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many clinicians internationally (details supplied) recommend co-testing pap plus HPV; if consideration has been given to same; the costs and so on of co-testing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25049/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

767. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the scientific evidence and the bodies from which evidence has been gathered that has assisted him to arrive at the decision to opt for a HPV only based test in the future. [25050/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

768. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he or the HSE has costed the replacement of the national screening program with a HPV based test; and if co-testing of HPV and pap has also been costed. [25051/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

769. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if HPV testing will be carried out by laboratories here and under a tendering process similar to the current regime. [25052/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

770. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if new HPV testing will be standardised across all laboratories in order to ensure that variation in detection rates does not reoccur between laboratories. [25053/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bríd Smith

Ceist:

771. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if public laboratories based here will be able to conduct the new HPV testing; the provisions being made to increase the capacity and infrastructure of laboratories based here to deal with the work; and if he has examined the need for future graduate programs in universities and the need for on-site facilities and training in hospitals. [25054/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 766 to 771, inclusive, together.

The outcome of a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) carried out by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for the National Screening Service was that the HPV test is a more accurate testing mechanism than the current liquid-based cytology, that the use of the HPV test would result in fewer false negative results, and that the use of the HPV test would result in more cancers being prevented.

As part of the HTA, HIQA considered 32 different screening strategies, including different primary screening tests (HPV or Liquid-Based Cytology), triage tests, screening intervals, and screening exit ages in both unvaccinated and vaccinated cohorts. This included economic modelling to project the financial cost of each of the strategies.

Currently cervical screening samples undergo cytology screening as the primary screening test and following the move to HPV testing, cervical screening samples will undergo a HPV test as the primary screening test and women whose samples show HPV infection will be triaged using cytology to determine if there are any abnormal cell changes.

The HTA did not recommend co-testing as both tests (liquid-based cytology and HPV) have been shown to be effective as a primary screening test.

I approved the switch to HPV testing as the primary screening mechanism for the CervicalCheck programme in February. The introduction of the test was intended for October of this year and I have asked the HSE to implement the move to HPV testing as the primary screening method as soon as possible.

While the extent to which the HPV testing can be done in Ireland is being assessed, it is likely that a tendering process will be needed to meet at least some of the HPV testing requirement.

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