A new analysis from the randomized phase 2 Prevent Anal Cancer (PAC) Self-Swab Study, published in JAMA Network Open, suggests that home-based self-sampling for anal cancer screening can significantly improve participation among high-risk individuals and may be cost-effective from a societal perspective.
Participants who self-collected samples at home had higher screening rates than those screened in clinics (89% vs. 74%). While self-sampling incurred higher direct healthcare costs, it reduced indirect burdens such as travel, time, and productivity loss—resulting in a lower incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) when viewed from a societal lens (~$25 per additional person screened).
The study focused on high-risk populations, including sexual and gender minorities, people living with HIV, transplant recipients, and women with a history of vulvar cancer or precancer—groups where HPV-driven squamous cell carcinoma of the anus is disproportionately common.