Results of a cervical cancer screening programme from an area of Barcelona (Spain) with a large immigrant population

• Published in: European journal of public health 2009-10, Vol.19 (5), p.499-503
• Main Authors: Casamitjana, Montserrat, Sala, María, Ochoa, Darío, Fusté, Pere, Castells, Xavier, Alameda, Francesc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Cellular biology; Cervical cancer; cervical cancer screening; Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data; Epidemiology; Female; Health care; Health services; Hospitals; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Medical screening; Middle Aged; Noncitizens; Normal distribution; Participation; Pathology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Population; Preventive medicine; Public health; Reproductive health; Retrospective Studies; Spain; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - diagnosis; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - ethnology; Vaccines; Womens health
• ISSN: 1101-1262; 1464-360X
• DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckp029

Background: To assess the participation rate and results of cytological assessment in the context of cervical cancer screening activities in an area of Barcelona (Spain) with a large immigrant population. Methods: Descriptive retrospective study of cytologies performed between 2001 and 2006 in women ≥14 years of age living in 2 out of 10 districts of Barcelona (n = 129 327) and participating in cervical cancer screening activities within a sexual and reproductive health care programme. Results: Between 2001 and 2006, overall participation among women aged 20- to 64-years old was 50.7%, with higher participation among women aged 20–34 years than among those aged 50–64 years (63.8 and 36.0%, respectively; P < 0.01). The median frequency was 0.5 cytologies/year. The rate of pathological results increased from 11.4‰ in 2001 to 29.0‰ in 2006 (P < 0.001). This increase was higher among younger women and was mainly due to an increase in the rate of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (L-SIL). Conclusions: These results show a low rate of participation in the public cervical cancer screening programme and an increase in the number of pathological results during the study period. These results provide useful information at a time when significant changes in the prevention of cervical cancer are being planned.