Improving cervical cancer screening delivery in Puerto Rico
Official title: The effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and budget impact of interventions to improve the delivery of cervical cancer screening in Puerto Rico.
Funded at Comprehensive Cancer Center/ Univ/pr · NIH-11211630 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests different ways to help women in Puerto Rico get cervical cancer screening and follow-up, including patient navigators and HPV self-sampling.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Comprehensive Cancer Center/ Univ/pr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Juan, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $44,843 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA282424-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11211630 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adult women in Puerto Rico who are due for cervical cancer screening, especially those using government clinics or covered by Medicaid/Medicare.
✕Less likely to help
Women who are already up-to-date with screening or who live outside Puerto Rico and cannot attend participating clinics would be unlikely to directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you would be asked to receive one of several clinic-based or at-home screening options as part of a four-arm randomized program across multiple sites. The approaches include patient navigators who help with scheduling and follow-up, offering HPV self-sampling kits to avoid clinic visits, and other combined strategies to reduce transportation and privacy barriers. The study will track who completes screening, whether abnormal results are followed up, and the costs to clinics and the health system. Results will also model the budget impact for government clinics to inform wider adoption.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could raise screening rates and catch cancers earlier for low-income women in Puerto Rico.
How similar studies have gone: Other programs using patient navigation and HPV self-sampling have improved screening in some settings, but combining multiple approaches in a randomized trial in Puerto Rico is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Comprehensive Cancer Center/ Univ/pr
San Juan, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ortiz, Ana Patricia — Comprehensive Cancer Center/ Univ/pr
- Study coordinator: Ortiz, Ana Patricia
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
mSaada: a mobile tool to boost cervical cancer screening in western Kenya
A mobile app helps community health volunteers manage cervical cancer screening tasks and follow-up for women in low-resource areas.
-
HPV self-collection in HIV care to screen for cervical cancer in Ethiopia
A patient-centered program tests a simple HPV self-collection approach within HIV clinics in Ethiopia to help detect cervical cancer earlier.
-
HOPE-inG: Increasing cervical cancer screening for women with HIV in Ghana
A study tests a home-based HPV self-sampling approach plus a tailored communication plan to help women living with HIV in Ghana get screened more often for cervical cancer.
-
CODA-based cervical cancer screening for LMICs using CRISPR and fluorescence
A low-resource, rapid test called CODA uses CRISPR and light signals to detect cervical cancer markers in women in sub-Saharan Africa to improve screening.
-
CODA-based cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings
A new, quick, low-cost test using CRISPR and fluorescence readouts to help screen for cervical cancer in women in sub-Saharan Africa.
-
CATSystem: a digital tool to boost cervical cancer screening and follow-up in Kenya
A digital tracking system helps doctors and patients in Kenya improve cervical cancer screening, treatment referrals, and follow-up, especially for women living with HIV.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.