Statutory cervical cancer screening is preventative healthcare that is free of charge for the women invited to participate. The purpose of screening is to detect cervical cancer precursors and treat them at an early stage so that their progression into cancer could be prevented. Cancers are diagnosed in women of all ages. Improve your personal health by participating in screening!
What's new?
HUSLAB is reforming its cervical cancer screening protocol from early 2019 onwards. In future, screening for women aged 30 or over is based on the human papillomavirus (HPV) test instead of the current Pap test. For women under 30, screening continues to be based on the Pap test. From 2019 onwards, all women aged 25 to 65 are invited to take part in screening every 5 years in municipalities that participate in screening organized by HUSLAB.
The human papillomavirus infection a.k.a. HPV infection is the most significant risk factor for cervical cancer. Screening that is based on the HPV test reduces cancer occurrence, which is the number of new cancer diagnoses, significantly more than screening based on the Pap test. HPV infections are very common in people younger than 30, but they almost always heal on their own. For this reason, to avoid undue stress and unnecessary treatments, we continue to use the Pap test for screening of persons under the age of 30.
What happens at a screening appointment?
HUSLAB will book you an appointment for taking the screening sample. You will receive an invitation letter with the appointment time and date. From the link below or by telephone, you have the opportunity to reschedule the appointment to a more suitable one or cancel it altogether if you do not wish to participate in screening.
If you have mobility impairments, please contact the HUSLAB customer service phone number 09 471 86800 (Mon-Fri 7:30-15.30).
Phone number 09 471 86800, (Mon–Fri 07:30-15:30)
When you come to your appointment, please bring your KELA card or other identification, and the FILLED-OUT Cervical cancer screening form enclosed with the invitation letter. You can also print the form from the link below.
The reformed screening protocol does not affect the appointment itself. A nurse trained for the task will take your sample as before. First, samples are collected from the vagina and the external orifice of the uterus with a spatula, and then samples are collected from the cervical canal with a sample brush. The samples are smeared on a slide. Finally, the sample brush is rotated in the HPV sample tube. For women whose uterus has been removed entirely, the sample is taken from the vagina with a brush. The screening sample can be taken from pregnant women up until gestational week 35. After delivery, the sample can be taken after the mother has recovered from childbirth, generally in 1 to 2 months. Taking the sample during menstruation is not recommended, but other discharge does not prevent sample taking.
You will receive the screening test results by mail.
You will receive the screening test results by mail within about a month after the sample was taken. If the screening test results do not show anything abnormal, you will receive the next invitation to screening in five years. If the tests show any abnormal results, you will receive instructions in the letter about participating in follow-up examinations and a separate invitation to the examinations by mail or by telephone. The follow-up examinations are performed at your local gynecological outpatient clinic. If the detected changes are mild, it is enough to test again in 1 to 2 years. You will also receive a personal invitation to the new test.
The screening test result shows your situation at the time of sampling. The results are normal for most women, which means that there is nothing in the screening sample that would indicate an HPV infection or cervical cell changes. Most commonly, the detected cell changes are mild changes, which do not indicate the existence of cancer or a precancerous condition.