Screening for cervical cancer, results from Thailand

Pap smears are recommended asa general screening methods to early diagnose cervical cancer in order to decrease morbidity and or mortality. Women in Thailand have a relatively high risk. Here, the author summarizes reported results from cervical screening programs set in Thailand. A total of 101,107 subjects of screening were included. The overall prevalence of cervical cancer was 0.38% (383 cases). The overall prevalence of pre-cancerous cases and other lesions (infection and inflammation) were 2.4% (2,405) and 5.3% (5,358). There was no significant association between the prevalence rate and the region. These results document the importance of cervical cancer in Thailand and the high detection rate of pre-cancerous lesion supports the utility of screening programs for secondary prevention of cervical cancer. Health education seems to play an important role in success of the cervical cancer screening program for Thai females.