The Mexican Cervical Cancer Screening Trial: self-sampling for human papillomavirus with unaided visual inspection as a secondary screen.

The Mexican Cervical Cancer Screening (MECCS) study took place in the State of Michoacán. Primary screening was by self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV). The objectives were to increase the specificity of primary HPV screening by requiring 2 positive HPV tests 1 year apart in women whose secondary screen was negative according to an acetic acid-aided visual inspection (VIA).

[Screening and follow-up for cervical cancer prevention in rural Mexico using visual inspection].

Objective: To compare the standard cervical cancer screening procedure--the Papanicolaou test or Pap smear--with detection through visual inspection using acetic acid (VIA), and visual inspection with acetic acid assisted by Aviscope (VIAM).

Material And Methods: The study was conducted between October 1998 and December 2000, in two Mixteca regions in Oaxaca, Mexico. A field trial design was used to randomize the two regions to either of the two inspection methods.