Rastreamento do câncer de colo uterino por meio do exame citopatológico no Brasil: análise temporal no período de 2013 a 2023

Abstract

Cervical cancer is a pathology of public health importance, mainly due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. In Brazil, the main screening method consists of the cytopathological examination or Pap smear, being widely used as it is a technique considered easy to perform and low cost. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the temporal evolution of cervical cancer screening through cytopathological exams in Brazil from 2013 to 2023. This is an ecological study, with a quantitative, observational and descriptive approach, based on secondary data. Data collection took place in the Cancer Information System (SISCAN) through the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), using the TABNET tool available by the Ministry of Health, from 2013 to 2023. The variables were analyzed: year, age group, education, race, previous cytology, period of subsequent examination, within normality, suitability, representation of transformation zone, reason for the examination, collection intervention and result and examination time. For descriptive and inferential analyses, the statistical package R version 4.3.0 (R Core Team, 2024) was used. It was shown that a total of 59,590,979 cytopathological exams were performed between 2013 and 2023. There was a predominance of the age group from 25 to 64 years old when performing the preventive exam and the majority of them were performed by white women. Data regarding education were recorded as unknown. In the assessment of previous cytology tests, most women had previously performed a test and had to repeat it after the first year. It was observed that more than 80% of the collected samples did not have a normality parameter and there was a percentage above 98% of the adequacy of the samples considered satisfactory. Furthermore, the cytopathological exams that presented alterations corresponded to a percentage of 2.9% (1,700,628), reviewing the variation in the study period, with the years 2020 and 2023 being those that presented the highest percentage. The profile of women remains predominantly in the age group of 25 to 64 years, considering white, where they passed previous exams (81.5%), with the objective of carrying out screening for cervical cancer, with the results reports being delivered within 30 days ( 43.2%). From the above, it can be concluded that there was a gradual increase in the distribution of cytopathological exams, except in 2020. In Brazil, cervical cancer is screened as recommended by the Ministry of Health.