V Singh1, A Sehgal, U K Luthra. 1. Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICMR), Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of visual screening for cervical cancer in the maternal and child health setting. DESIGN: Clinical and cytological screening. SETTING: Maternal and child health centres, Delhi. SUBJECTS: 44,970 women attending the centres from May 1988 to March 1991. RESULTS: 238 cancers in early stages (0-IIa) were detected cytologically and proved through biopsy. Prevalence of cancer in women defined as high risk through examination by speculum was 29/1000 as compared to 1.53/1000 among women with a normal looking cervix. Though only 11.4% women belonged to the high risk category, 63% had early stage cancer. If all women with bleeding symptoms were included in the high risk category, the yield of cancer would be 71.4% (170/238) by referring only 15.6% of women attending maternal and child health centres for further evaluation through cytology or colposcopy. CONCLUSION: Though visual screening is a suboptimal strategy in comparison to the cytological screening, it may be useful where there is a heavy load of prevalent cancer and where cytological screening may not be available for years to come.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of visual screening for cervical cancer in the maternal and child health setting. DESIGN: Clinical and cytological screening. SETTING: Maternal and child health centres, Delhi. SUBJECTS: 44,970 women attending the centres from May 1988 to March 1991. RESULTS: 238 cancers in early stages (0-IIa) were detected cytologically and proved through biopsy. Prevalence of cancer in women defined as high risk through examination by speculum was 29/1000 as compared to 1.53/1000 among women with a normal looking cervix. Though only 11.4% women belonged to the high risk category, 63% had early stage cancer. If all women with bleeding symptoms were included in the high risk category, the yield of cancer would be 71.4% (170/238) by referring only 15.6% of women attending maternal and child health centres for further evaluation through cytology or colposcopy. CONCLUSION: Though visual screening is a suboptimal strategy in comparison to the cytological screening, it may be useful where there is a heavy load of prevalent cancer and where cytological screening may not be available for years to come.
Authors: R Wesley; R Sankaranarayanan; B Mathew; B Chandralekha; A Aysha Beegum; N S Amma; M K Nair Journal: Br J Cancer Date: 1997 Impact factor: 7.640