[Pap smear screening for the control of cervical cancer in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, 2002]

Abstract

This article analyzes the implementation of Pap smears by the Cervical Cancer Control Program in 2002 in women 25-59 years of age residing in 850 municipalities (counties) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Cluster analysis was performed to classify municipalities by: number of Pap smears performed; test findings; and adequacy of slides. The variable "satisfactory slide, but limited by" was the principal factor for classifying municipalities into 5 clusters. Spatial representation of clusters indicated a more critical situation in the North, Jequitinhonha, Vale do Mucuri, and Vale do Rio Doce "meso-regions" of Minas Gerais and identified operational problems resulting from inadequate collection of material, with more "desiccated" slides observed in the North of the State and more slides with "absent endocervical cells" in the Center and South. The methodology allowed identifying clusters of municipalities with problems in the screening process, related to quality of sampling and fixing and reading of slides.