人類乳突病毒基因篩檢自我取樣：子宮頸癌篩檢的新方式

Self-sampling for human papillomavirus genetic screening: a new method for cervical cancer screening

子宮頸癌在台灣仍是女性常見的十大癌症之一，其主要原因為高危險性人類乳突病毒（HPV）的感染。為提升子宮頸癌的篩檢率，台灣政府為無法外出或六年以上未進行子宮頸抹片篩檢的女性提供了人類乳突病毒基因篩檢或病毒基因自我取樣的選項。然而，2021年全台灣36歲以上的女性中，仍有約278萬名在過去6年內未接受子宮頸癌篩檢。本文旨在比較子宮頸抹片與人類乳突病毒基因篩檢的差異，並介紹人類乳突病毒基因自我取樣這一新方法。研究顯示，人類乳突病毒基因篩檢的敏感度高於傳統抹片篩檢，且篩檢呈陰性的女性可以延長篩檢間隔，從而提高篩檢效率。自我取樣不僅具有高度一致性，敏感度也無明顯差異，同時為女性提供了更好的便利性和個人隱私的保護，有效減少尷尬和焦慮感。儘管少數女性可能在自我取樣後感到輕微不適，但多數女性更傾向於採用這種方法，顯示自我取樣未來可能成為台灣另一種受歡迎且有效的子宮頸癌篩檢新選擇。

Cervical cancer, one of the most common cancers among women in Taiwan, is primarily caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. To improve cervical cancer screening rates, the Taiwanese government provides options for HPV DNA testing or self-sampling for women who are unable to visit a clinic or have not undergone a Pap smear in more than 6 years. However, in 2021, approximately 2.78 million women aged 36 years or older in Taiwan had not undergone cervical cancer screening in the preceding 6 years. This article compares Pap smear results with HPV DNA screening results and introduces a new method of HPV DNA self-sampling. Studies have indicated that HPV DNA screening is more sensitive than traditional Pap smears and that women with a negative result from such a screening can extend the screening interval, thereby improving screening efficiency. Self-sampling provides highly consistent results with comparable sensitivity (to Pap smears) while offering greater convenience and privacy protection for women, effectively reducing feelings of embarrassment and anxiety. Although a minority of women may experience slight discomfort after self-sampling, most women prefer this method, suggesting that self-sampling could become a popular and effective cervical cancer screening option in Taiwan in the future.