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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Few women in the developing world are getting the cervical cancer screenings they need.
A new study from the University of Washington finds only one in five women in developing countries are screened effectively for cervical cancer and those at highest risk are among the least likely to be screened.
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Researchers analyzed World Health Organization surveys from 57 countries of all levels of economic development. They looked at the proportion of eligible women who had a pelvic exam and a Pap smear in the last three years as well as the proportion of eligible women who said they just had a pelvic exam. They found a huge disparity in rates of cervical cancer screening only 19 percent of women in the developing world have been screened compared to 63 percent in developed countries.
Results also show a wide gap between countries with the most effective cervical cancer screening programs and those with little screening. For example, over 80 percent of women in Austria get effective screening compared to one percent or less in Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
The study found poor women who are more likely to be exposed to cervical cancer risk factors such as smoking or unsafe sex are less likely to get screened effectively. In developing countries the rates of screening coverage decrease as women get older, the time when cervical cancer is most common.
Strategies for improving cervical cancer prevention must be adapted to meet the specific needs of individual countries, conclude the authors. Expanded screening may be a viable option where sufficient infrastructure and health system access exists, but novel strategies need to be considered in other settings.
SOURCE: PLoS Medicine, 2008; published online June 16, 2008
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