Chicago’s NBC 5 News recently featured Dr. Shikha Jain, a medical oncologist at UI Health and a member of the University of Illinois Cancer Center, in a segment highlighting a major advancement in women’s health. Dr. Jain discussed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first at-home cervical cancer screening test—a development that could significantly increase access to early detection and prevention.
In the interview, Dr. Jain explained how the new test allows individuals to collect a sample from home and send it in for high-risk HPV testing, which is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. She emphasized the importance of this tool for reaching populations that often face barriers to traditional screenings, such as those in rural communities or those with limited access to healthcare facilities.
This innovation has the potential to reduce preventable deaths by making cervical cancer screening more convenient, private, and accessible—ultimately helping to close longstanding gaps in preventive care. Dr. Jain also noted that increasing screening rates through accessible tools like this one could lead to earlier diagnoses and better outcomes.
