Assessment of cervical cancer screening and its periodicity in a city of Santa Catarina state

Abstract

Study Model: Prevalence Study. Study objective: To determine the prevalence of the abnormal cervical cancer screening test (PAP) and regularity in repeat it. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study. 3,425 women, users of the Brazilian Unified Health System, and 9,436 cytopathology, conducted from November 2003 to January 2014, were studied. Results: The median age was 35 years (25.0 to 46.0, 25 to 75% percentile). In the first PAP, 2.7% of women examined had alterations in epithelial cells. The atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance (ASC-US) (n = 54; 1.7%), and low-grade intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) (n = 24; 0.7%) were the most frequent alterations found. During the observed period, 87 new abnormal PAPs were found, totalling 173 altered tests in 9436 analysed. Regarding regularity of test, 58.5% patients repeated the second PAP. Conclusions: There was a preferential profile of young women, and the diagnosis of ASC-US was the most frequently found. Lactobacillus, especially in young women, was the main bacterial flora