"High incidence of abnormal pap smears and low awareness of cervical cancer among women in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India: Implications for screening and education"

Objectives

The objectives of the study were to determine the incidence of abnormal Pap smears and assess the awareness of cervical cancer and its associated socio-demographic factors among women in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Methods

This cross-sectional study combined screening for cervical abnormalities using cytopathology archives from two government-aided tertiary care hospitals with a community-based survey. The survey included 666 women aged 21–75 years from rural and urban areas of Rewa, covering questions about socio-demographic factors, awareness of cervical cancer risk factors, symptoms, and screening tests.

Results

The cytological analysis revealed 207 abnormal Pap smears, translating to a high abnormality rate of 26.4 % ASC-US+ (207/785), including 2.5 % HSIL+ (20/785). Awareness of cervical cancer was notably low, with only 46.6 % of participants having heard of the disease. Moreover, recall awareness of key risk factors such as HPV infection, smoking, and weakened immune systems was exceptionally low, at 2.7 %, 2.4 %, and 2.0 % respectively.

Conclusions

The findings highlight a high rate of abnormal Pap smears and a critical lack of awareness about cervical cancer in Rewa. Given the low awareness levels and high rate of abnormal cytologies, particularly among older women, there is an urgent need for targeted screening and educational interventions. These efforts are essential, particularly for underprivileged women, to reduce both the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer.