Grant: Operating Grant

Cervical cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in Canadian women aged between 20 and 49. This malignancy is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and is preventable with regular screening. Many First Nations women, however, are not regularly screened. This may contribute to this population having a signficantly higher prevalence of cervical cancer compared to other Canadian women. We will test the acceptability of a new approach to cervical cancer screening in First Nations women: self-sampling and HPV testing. This approach has been successful in recruiting other under-screened Canadian women. About one thousand First Nations women between 25 and 70 years old from Northwest Ontario will be invited to particpate. The study will take three years. We expect that this new practice, in combination with culturally appropriate health information, will increase participation in cervical cancer screening and in due course decrease cervical cancer rates amongst First Nations women. A key feature of this study is the emphasis on developing trusting and genuine relationships with First Nations communities helping to reduce the burden of cervical cancer within these communities. First Nations community members, and in particular women, will be engaged in all decision making processes. This work will assist in the implementation of an organized cervical cancer screening program that is culturally safe for the needs of First Nations women. It will further guide to design prophylactic vaccines that are precisely adapted to the truly prevailing HPV types in First Nations women as suggested in other related studies.