Socio-demographic and Clinical Characteristic of Women Availing Pap Smear Services in Samtse District, Bhutan

Abstract

Background: The case burden of cervical cancer has been increasing globally especially in developing countries without proper health system. Cervical cancer can be eliminated with timely vaccination and screening program as it usually takes years for pre-malignant lesions to develop into malignant lesion. Bhutan has committed to eliminate cervical cancer. Thus, it is important to understand the factors associated with abnormal Pap test findings. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted using the Pap smear data for the year 2018. It was extracted from the records maintained in the cytology unit of Samtse General Hospital. Result: The abnormal slide rate in this study was 2.5%. The majority of women seeking Pap smear services were women in reproductive age group and housewife by occupation. There were significant differences between age groups and marital status among normal in the Pap test results. Conclusion: The slide abnormality of Pap smear in Samtse District is low. The abnormality is more common among married and older women. Therefore, additional screening efforts needs to be put into this group to detect pre-malignant lesions.

Gender‐neutral HPV elimination, cervical cancer screening, and treatment: Experience from Bhutan

“…17 The reading of cervical smear slides is performed by trained cyto-technicians and abnormal reports signed out by pathologists with a reporting of 2.5% abnormal findings include ASC-US, HSIL, and others such as LSIL, polyps, and squamous cell carcinoma. 18 The performance of the cytology screening program based on samples from Thimphu district reported a mid-range performance compared with other low-and middle-income countries. When compared with histopathology, cervical smear had a sensitivity of 61% in detecting ASC-US, 74% in detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Stage 2+ (CIN2+) and CIN3+ (both HSIL) lesions, and specificity of 94% in detecting ASC-US, CIN2+, and CIN3+.…”

“…The reading of cervical smear slides is performed by trained cyto‐technicians and abnormal reports signed out by pathologists with a reporting of 2.5% abnormal findings include ASC‐US, HSIL, and others such as LSIL, polyps, and squamous cell carcinoma 18 . The performance of the cytology screening program based on samples from Thimphu district reported a mid‐range performance compared with other low‐ and middle‐income countries.…”

Association Between Hormonal Contraceptives and Cervical Neoplasia in Local Population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

“…An early detection of cervical smear changes in clients of family planning services is an important goal, and this baseline study would pave the way for future cohort studies to accomplish this. Planners for people with disabilities in Pakistan could use this information to better decide how to deliver secure, high-quality family planning services [10].…”