New cervical cancer prevention program in Sant Boi de Llobregat

The Department of Health has announced a new cervical cancer screening program for women between 30 and 65 years old which consists of making it at home human papillomavirus (HPV) detection test. This test is part of the Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, coordinated by the Catalan Institute of Oncology.

HPV detection in women between 30 and 65 years old allows to get ahead of the development of the disease and detect the presence of infection, rather than the presence of lesions that are detected with cytology. In this way, women who have the virus and, therefore, are at greater risk of developing the disease can be closely monitored.

In the case of Sant Boi de Llobregat, starting this week, women will be offered the opportunity to take this test with autoshow, easily, quickly and painlessly, without the need to go to a health center. Women between 30 and 65 years old residing in this population will receive a SMS from the Department of Health when it's their turn to take the test.

Considering that it is a test that must be carried out every five years, the women of Sant Boi will not all receive the SMS at once, but will be invited gradually throughout this period.

Action in collaboration with Sant Boi pharmacies

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 test at home. Once the sample is collected, it must be returned to the same pharmacy and sent to the laboratory for analysis. The participation of pharmacies It provides a more accessible and conciliatory system, while its professionals are trained to offer information and resolve users' doubts. The woman can also contact her healthcare professional or the Technical Office for Cervical Cancer Screening of the Catalan Institute of Oncology by calling 93 260 74 69 or writing to prevenciocervix@iconcologia.net to resolve any queries.

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 My Health. If the result is negative (the virus is not detected), the test is repeated after five years. In case of a positive result, a healthcare professional will be contacted to schedule an in-person visit to the Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Centers (ASSIR) and perform additional tests at SJD Sant Boi Hospital, as a reference hospital within its territory. HPV infection is the necessary cause for the development of cervical cancer but not all HPV infections will develop into cancer.

The new screening program will accelerate communication between theCatalan Institute of Oncology, the ASSIR and theSJD Sant Boi Hospital. "As has been done so far, The Hospital will continue to treat women with positive results and cervical lesions., compatible with cancer, derived from Primary Care. However, the highest-risk cases will go directly to the hospital, where more specialized tests will be carried out," explains the Dr. Johanna Parra, head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at the SJD Sant Boi Hospital.

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

The population screening with self-sample, that is, the one in which the entire population is invited to participate, began in Catalonia at the beginning of 2024 through a pilot test in El Prat de Llobregat and was extended shortly after to the municipalities of Viladecans, Gavà, Castelldefels, Begues and Sant Climent de Llobregat. In 2025, L'Hospitalet became the first large city where the program was deployed.

This 2026, Health plans to reach more municipalities in the Barcelona Metropolitan South health region and in the first weeks of the year it has already been deployed 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 progressively implemented in 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 theglobal strategy led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for thecervical cancer removal.

In addition, the WHO strategy aims to achieve at least 90% of girls being vaccinated against HPV before the age of 15. In this sense, Catalonia includes the HPV vaccine in the routine vaccination schedule and is administered to both boys and girls in 6th grade.

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