Vaginal self-sampling is a cost-effective way to increase participation in a cervical cancer screening programme: a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer screening coverage remains insufficient in most countries. Our objective was to assess whether in-home vaginal self-sampling with a dry swab for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing is effective and cost-effective in increasing participation in cervical cancer screening. METHODS: In March 2012, 6000 unscreened women aged 30-65 years, living in a French region covered by a screening programme, who had not responded to an initial invitation to have a Pap smear were equally randomised to three groups: 'no intervention'; 'recall', women received a letter to have a Pap smear; and 'self-sampling', women received a self-sampling kit to return to a centralised virology laboratory for PCR-based HPV testing. RESULTS: Participation was higher in the 'self-sampling' than in the 'no intervention' group (22.5% vs 9.9%, P<0.0001; OR 2.64) and 'recall' group (11.7%, P<0.0001; OR 2.20). In the 'self-sampling' group, 320 used the self-sampling kit; for 44 of these women with positive HR-HPV test results, 40 had the recommended triage Pap smear. The ICER per extra screened woman was 77.8[euro ] and 63.2[euro ] for the 'recall' and 'self-sampling' groups, respectively, relative to the 'no intervention' group. CONCLUSIONS: Offering an in-home, return-mail kit for vaginal self-sampling with a dry swab is more effective and cost-effective than a recall letter in increasing participation in cervical cancer screening.

Stabilisation of femoral capital physeal fractures using transcervical pinning in cats: 19 cases (2014-2022).

OBJECTIVES: To report the short-term clinical and radiographic outcomes in cats with femoral capital physeal fractures stabilised with transcervical pinning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of cats diagnosed with femoral capital physeal fractures and treated with transcervical pinning were reviewed. The collected data included signalment, weight, time from lameness to surgery, reported trauma, affected side, concomitant orthopaedic injuries, radiographs, osteoarthritis, femoral neck osteolysis, proximal femoral epiphysis to femoral neck ratio, fracture reduction, implants, complications and clinical evaluation results. An owner questionnaire was used for long-term follow-up. RESULTS: Nineteen cats with a total of 21 fractures met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen of the 19 cats showed no signs of lameness at the 1-month follow-up. Major and catastrophic complications occurred in 9.5% and 23.8% of the fractures, respectively. All catastrophic complications occurred in fractures with a high preoperative osteolysis grade (2 or 3). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In our study, transcervical pinning was found to be a reliable fixation method for the treatment of femoral capital physeal fractures in cats with minimal preoperative femoral neck osteolysis. High rates of implant failure with loss of fracture reduction were observed in cats with high-grade preoperative osteolysis.