What is it about?
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in Mexico, causing around 4,500 deaths each year. At the same time, the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) has seen a sharp increase in women taking time off work due to this disease. To address this challenge, we offered HPV self-sampling tests directly at the workplace to women in the manufacturing sector in Ciudad Juárez. We then created a computer simulation model, known as a Markov model, to predict what would happen over 10 years in 100,000 women if this new method was used compared to the traditional Pap smear. The self-sampling approach detected 61% more high-grade lesions. It prevented 161 additional cases of cervical cancer per 100,000 women. The cost per cancer case prevented fell by 68%, and disability days dropped by 67%. This workplace strategy creates a clear triple win: it is easier to implement in working settings, more comfortable and preferred by women workers, reduces absenteeism for companies, and saves substantial costs for the IMSS.
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Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Women workers play a vital economic role, not only in their companies, but also in their households, communities, and the national economy. When a working woman develops cervical cancer, the impact goes far beyond her health: it reduces household income during periods of disability, lowers company productivity, and increases costs for the social security system through disability payments and pensions. This study is important because its findings are consistent with international research showing that HPV-based screening is more cost-effective than traditional Pap smears and dramatically improves screening coverage, especially among women who face barriers to attending regular medical appointments.
Perspectives
By demonstrating that workplace HPV self-sampling strategy can prevent more cancers while significantly reducing this multi-level economic burden, the study strengthens the case for accelerating innovation to eliminate cervical cancer as a cause of illness, death, and economic hardship in vulnerable working populations and eventually in all female population.
Olga Georgina Martinez Montanez
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The cost-saving impact of human papillomavirus self-sampling for cervical cancer screening in women workers at the manufacturing sector in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, PLOS Global Public Health, May 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006389.
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