Home testing kits might help improve diagnosis of cervical cancer risk in women, researchers have claimed.
A study in Sweden found that many women who failed to turn up for smear testing were happy to use the testing kits.
The test kits seek to identify infection with the human papillomavirus, blamed for most cases of the cancer.
The kits, developed at Lund University, Sweden, involved a simple cotton bud and a test-tube.
Researchers sent the kits to 1,000 women who had not had a smear test for nine years or more. Some 15% of women used the test and sent in samples.
Researcher Dr Lotten Darlin said: "That may not seem like many. But for this group, who have failed to go for a smear test for so many years, it is nonetheless a significant improvement."
She added: "We are usually able to cure cases of cancer that are identified through smear tests.
"For those women who have not been for smear tests, the cancer has progressed considerably further by the time it is diagnosed. It is these women who are at risk of dying from the disease."
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