Rastreio de câncer de colo de útero: Brasil, Estados Unidos e Reino Unido

Um comparativo nos critérios de indicações

Abstract

Cervical cancer has a high incidence among women, with persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as its main cause. Different factors may influence the incidence and mortality rates of this pathology, and cervical cancer benefits from early diagnosis, reflecting the prognosis. The present study consists of a bibliographic review with comparative method using updated cervical cancer screening guidelines and epidemiological data published between 2009 and 2019 obtained through the Mortality Atlas of the National Cancer Institute (INCA) for Brazil, the 2019 report of the American Cancer Society for the United States and the Global Cancer Observatory of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the United Kingdom. The article aims to compare screening protocols used in Brazil, United States and United Kingdom, indicating the divergences and agreements of the criteria covered. These include: predominant screening pattern, age of onset and age of completion, frequency, and types of examinationperformed. As results, the main divergences found are in the predominant pattern of screening (opportunistic and active search), in the types of examination included in each program and in the specificities of the frequencies indicated. The different socioeconomic and health services realities of the countries analyzed may justify the construction and dichotomous applicability of the guidelines for their respective realities. The findings of this study affirm the importance of cancer screening programs in the early identification of this disease, although they are not the only factor responsible for changing incidence and mortality patterns.