Screening for cervical cancer using exfoliative cervical cytology at a Sexually transmitted Diseases Clinic in Colombo

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the usefulness of screening for cervical cancer (including cancer precursors) in patients attending sexually transmitted diseases (S.T.D) clinics in Sri Lanka, to describe the types of abnormal finding in cervical smears and to describe and compare data on age, sexual history, marital status, contraceptive practices and the sexually transmitted infections between women with normal and abnormal smears. The data revealed that the mean age of first coitus in women with normal smears was 19.7 years while the mean age of first coitus was 18.7 years in those, with abnormal smears. However, this difference was not found to be significant (p0.05). There was no significant difference (p0.05) in the number of sexual partners between patients with normal smears and those with abnormal smears. There was no significant difference (p0.05) in the marital status between women with normal smears and those with abnormal smears. Data on the number of pregnancies revealed a significant difference (p0.01) between women with normal smears and abnormal smears who had five pregnancies. All the patients who had koilocytic atypia reported in their smears were free of visible genital warts. Non specific genital infection was the commonest S.T.D. diagnosed overall. Trichomonas infection was diagnosed more in patients with abnormal smears than in those with normal smears. Prostitutes were found evenly distributed in the two groups (28.7 per cent in the normal smear group and 27.6 per cent in the abnormal smear group).This study, indicates a serious need for introducing cytology screening in S.T.D. clinics throughout the country