New cervical cancer prevention program in Sant Boi de Llobregat

The Department of Health has announced a new cervical cancer screening program for women aged 30 to 65 that consists of performing a human papillomavirus (HPV) detection test at home. This test forms part of the Early Detection Program for Cervical Cancer, coordinated by the Catalan Institute of Oncology.

Detecting HPV in women aged 30 to 65 allows the disease to be anticipated by identifying the presence of the infection itself, rather than the presence of lesions detected by a Pap smear (cytology). This way, close follow-up can be provided to women who have the virus and are therefore at higher risk of developing the disease.

In the case of Sant Boi de Llobregat, starting this week, women will be offered the chance to take this self-sample test in an easy, quick and painless way, without the need to go to a healthcare centre. Women aged 30 to 65 living in this town will receive an SMS from the Department of Health when it is their turn to take the test.

Taking into account that this is a test that must be performed every five years, the women of Sant Boi will not all receive the SMS at the same time. Instead, they will be invited gradually throughout this period.

Action in collaboration with the pharmacies of Sant Boi

The SMS received will be an invitation to collect, free of charge, at any pharmacy in Sant Boi, the necessary materials and instructions to collect the sample at home. Once the sample has been collected, it must be returned to the same pharmacy and will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. The participation of pharmacies makes the system more accessible and convenient, while their professionals are trained to provide information and resolve any doubts from users. The woman can also contact her healthcare professional or the Technical Office for Cervical Cancer Screening at the Catalan Institute of Oncology by calling 93 260 74 69 or by writing to prevenciocervix@iconcologia.net to resolve any doubts.

The availability of the test result will be notified by SMS within a maximum of 30 days and can be consulted in the “Reports and results” section of La Meva Salut. If the result is negative (the virus is not detected), the test is repeated after five years. In the event of a positive result, a healthcare professional will contact you to schedule an in-person visit at one of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Centres (ASSIR) and to carry out additional tests at Hospital SJD Sant Boi, the reference hospital within the territory. HPV infection is the necessary cause for the development of cervical cancer, but not all HPV infections will lead to cancer.

The new screening program will speed up communication between the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the ASSIR and Hospital SJD Sant Boi. "As has been done until now, the Hospital will continue to care for women with positive results and cervical lesions compatible with cancer who are referred from Primary Care. However, the higher-risk cases will go directly to the Hospital, where more specialised tests will be performed,” explains Dr Johanna Parra, head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Service at Hospital SJD Sant Boi.

The Barcelona Metropolitan South health region, pioneer in the rollout of the program in Catalonia

Population-based self-sampling screening – that is, the one in which the entire population is invited to participate – began in Catalonia at the beginning of 2024 with a pilot in El Prat de Llobregat and was soon extended to the municipalities of Viladecans, Gavà, Castelldefels, Begues and Sant Climent de Llobregat. In 2025, L’Hospitalet became the first major city where the program was rolled out.

This 2026, the Department of Health plans to reach more municipalities in the Barcelona Metropolitan South health region and in the first weeks of the year it has already rolled it out in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Torrelles de Llobregat, Santa Coloma de Cervelló and, starting this week, in Sant Boi de Llobregat.

In the coming years, the program will be implemented progressively across the rest of Catalonia.

In line with the World Health Organization strategy

With this new program, Catalonia is aligned with the rest of European countries to achieve the global strategy led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the elimination of cervical cancer.

In addition, the WHO strategy aims to ensure that at least 90% of girls are vaccinated against HPV before the age of 15. In this regard, Catalonia has included the HPV vaccine in its systematic vaccination schedule and it is administered to both boys and girls in Year 6 of primary school.

For more information, you can consult the Department of Health website.