OBJECTIVE: To evaluate results of the Papanicolaou cervical cytology test performed between 1986 and 1995. DESIGN: A descriptive and retrospective study. SETTING: Primary care, San Juan Health Centre, Salamanca. PARTICIPANTS: 1,271 women over 15 who had at least one smear during the study period. INTERVENTION: Review of clinical histories and cytology reports. RESULTS: 2,056 smears were carried out. 50% were on women < 35, for whom family planning was the main reason for the test. Only 31% of the women between 35 and 65 had a smear. 35% of the women recruited had a further cytology test. 56% had morphological or microbiological disorders, 43.1% were negative and only 0.9% could not be evaluated by the pathologist. There were benign morphological alterations in 48.4% and infections in 27.3%. Only 15 smears (0.7%), corresponding to 12 women (1.2%), had suspected malignity, with dysplasia confirmed in 3 cases (0.24%). CONCLUSIONS: There were few cases of cervical cancer detected with the methods followed at our centre. The effectiveness of the intervention should be improved by selective screening based on risk scales, setting up computerised systems of identification and the extension of the interval between smears to 5 years.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate results of the Papanicolaou cervical cytology test performed between 1986 and 1995. DESIGN: A descriptive and retrospective study. SETTING: Primary care, San Juan Health Centre, Salamanca. PARTICIPANTS: 1,271 women over 15 who had at least one smear during the study period. INTERVENTION: Review of clinical histories and cytology reports. RESULTS: 2,056 smears were carried out. 50% were on women < 35, for whom family planning was the main reason for the test. Only 31% of the women between 35 and 65 had a smear. 35% of the women recruited had a further cytology test. 56% had morphological or microbiological disorders, 43.1% were negative and only 0.9% could not be evaluated by the pathologist. There were benign morphological alterations in 48.4% and infections in 27.3%. Only 15 smears (0.7%), corresponding to 12 women (1.2%), had suspected malignity, with dysplasia confirmed in 3 cases (0.24%). CONCLUSIONS: There were few cases of cervical cancer detected with the methods followed at our centre. The effectiveness of the intervention should be improved by selective screening based on risk scales, setting up computerised systems of identification and the extension of the interval between smears to 5 years.