The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory is pleased to welcome the STEP-2 trial (Self-Testing for Cervical Cancer in Priority Populations) to its portfolio of innovative NIH Collaboratory Trials.
Only half of eligible patients in US federally qualified health centers were screened for cervical cancer in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these disparities. Distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling kits to patients is a widely adopted strategy in other countries but is nascent in the United States.
The STEP-2 study team will conduct a cluster randomized trial in federally qualified health centers in Oregon and Washington to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of in-clinic distribution of self-sampling kits, in-clinic plus mailed distribution, and usual care. The project is supported by a grant award from the National Cancer Institute.
Rachel Winer, Amanda Petrik, and Jasmin Tiro are the principal investigators for the STEP-2 trial. Winer is a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington. Petrik is an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. Tiro is a professor of public health sciences at the University of Chicago.