FDA approves new tool to combat cervical cancer

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - The FDA just approved a new tool in the fight against cervical cancer: The first-ever cervical cancer test that can be done at home.

Cervical cancer kills more than 4,300 women in the U.S. annually, according to American Cancer Society estimates.

Women are supposed to get a pap smear every two to three years, starting at age 25 to screens for things like cervical cancer, but about one out of every four women in the United States are not up to date on those screenings, in some cases because of the hesitation about the invasive process.

This is about 21 million eligible women.

Now, several healthcare companies, including one called "Teal Health," are trying to make the screening less daunting by letting women gather their own samples.

"It looks very similar to a tampon and you insert it as far as makes sense for your body. It's designed for all women and then you collect it with a soft sponge and then you ship it to the lab," said Kara Egan, CEO of Teal Health.

"This is a preventable form of cancer, this is something we can prevent both with vaccination and then later with screening," said Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News Medical Contributor and Editor-at-large for public health, KFF Health News.

It's estimated that less than 60% of women aged 19–26 have received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.