The first Australian report of cervical adenocarcinoma identified following a self-collected HPV vaginal swab underlines the importance of closing the knowledge gap about the risk of HPV in women who have sex with women, gynaecologists say.

Everyone with a cervix needs to undergo screening but there is still ignorance about this among patients and clinicians, they suggest in an article in the MJA.

Under the renewed national cervical screening program, they say the addition of self-collected HPV samples offers never-screened or under-screened patients an “excellent option” to increase participation and reduce the burden of dysplasia and cervical cancer.

Gynecological oncologist Dr Adam Pendlebury and registrar Dr Monica McGauran, from the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, detail the case report of a 39-year-old woman, who was many years overdue for cervical screening, and had HPV type-16 detected on a self-collected swab.