Rastreamento do câncer do colo do útero no Brasil

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Screening programs are an important strategy for preventing cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the indicators recommended by the Brazilian Guidelines for the screening of cervical cancer in the national territory. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out, using the results of cervical cytopathological exams carried out in Brazil, from January 2016 to December 2020, registered in the Cancer Information System, totaling 29,804,247 exams. The following variables were analyzed: age group of the population that underwent cervical Pap smear, frequency of examination, prevalence of Pap smear results, and coverage of cervical Pap smear. RESULTS: It was identified that at least 78.97% of the women who underwent the Pap smear were from the target population for screening. The greatest coverage took place in 2019 with 29.86%. The annual periodicity was the most prevalent in all years. The representation of the transformation zone was present in, at most, 57.53% of the exams. And the identification of atypical changes and pre-malignant lesions increased between the years 2016 to 2020. CONCLUSION: The performance of cytopathological tests by the target population and the detection of atypical alterations and premalignant lesions has increased in the last five years. The three-year periodicity recommended by the Ministry of Health is far from being achieved, with the culture of annual repetition remaining. The representation of the transformation zone must be a worked issue as it provides quality and safety to the exams performed. Finally, with the onset of the pandemic, coverage has significantly reduced, and incentives are needed to increase it again until it reaches the recommended level.