[The impact of the HPV test in screening programs in Latin America: The case of Argentina].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of HPV testing on longstanding problems faced by screening programs in Latin America, using the case of the Jujuy Demonstration Project (JDP) in Argentina.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

. The study measured the level of impact produced by the introduction of HPV-testing on problems faced by cytology programs by analyzing modifications on specific problems produced during the JDP. Impact was classified as direct/indirect, and positive/negative.

RESULTS

Direct/positive impact was found in issues concerning age and screening frequency,cytology laboratories and screening sensitivity, and low coverage. Direct/negative impact was mainly related to the adherence to triage cytology by HPV+ women with self-collected-tests, and the delivery and labelling of samples. Indirect impact of HPV-Test was mostly positive, and related to the programmatic reorganization which was facilitated by the introduction of HPV testing.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV testing provides an opportunity window for improving primary screening, but does not solve programmatic problems.