At-Home pap smear could boost cancer screening in rural areas
NCT ID NCT04093388
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether a self-administered Pap smear is as accurate as the traditional one done by a healthcare provider. Researchers will recruit 250 women in rural Alabama who need routine cervical cancer screening. Each woman will do a self-collected sample right before the standard Pap smear, and both samples will be compared in a blinded way. If self-collection works well, it could make screening easier and more accessible for women who avoid or cannot get to a clinic.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a convenient, private way for women to screen for cervical cancer at home, potentially increasing screening rates in underserved areas.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (250 participants) comparing self-collection to standard collection. It may not prove self-tests are accurate enough for widespread use, and results may not apply to other populations.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 250 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2021
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 65 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Female of at least 21 years of age and not over 65 presenting who need routine cervical cancer screening per national guidelines. Exclusion Criteria: * prior history of cervical cancer or a positive Pap smear, have had a total hysterectomy (removal of uterus and cervix), or currently enrolled in any other cancer prevention study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cahaba Medical Care
RECRUITINGCentreville, Alabama, 35042, United States
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Cahaba Medical Care - Ensley
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35218, United States
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Cahaba Medical Care - West End
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35211, United States
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