Utility of cervical cytology in asymptomatic women under rural conditions in India

Abstract

Problems -The present study was carried out in the rural asymptomatic women who avoided Pap smear examination during counseling on the pretext that they are healthy and have no gynecological problems. Experimental approach- Rural cervical cancer screening is in progress in Lucknow and 2912 women have been cytological examined till December 2019. Of these, 924 women were asymptomatic. Major findings- The incidence of squamous intraepithelial lesions of cervix (SIL) was very high (16.5%) in asymptomatic women which may be related to poor personal genital hygiene due to illiteracy. The SIL rate was high in women presenting cervical lesions and in the illiterate women and showed increasing trend with rising age and parity. Conclusion- Cytological screening in asymptomatic rural women is mandatory because carcinoma cervix is mostly asymptomatic in its pre-invasive phase and when detected and treated will help in checking the incidence of the disease in the rural population screened.