Excessive Pap smears due to opportunistic cervical cancer screening.

The study aimed to analyze the Pap smears carried out for cervical cancer screening according to Ministry of Health guidelines. All smear tests carried out within the public health system in Campinas in 2003 were analyzed. All tests that did not conform to the guidelines were considered excessive. The guidelines recommend screening once every three years for all women aged 25 to 59 after they have received two negative smears. This study showed that the majority of women initiated screening prior to 25 years of age and the periodicity was predominantly annual, followed by biannual tests. In conclusion, 63.4% of tests were excessive. The screening coverage was 14.76%, but if all the tests had been performed as recommended, the final coverage over three years could have reached 65.4%. Thus it is possible to increase the coverage with the available resources since the screening works like an organized program.