Extension of organised cervical cancer screening programmes in Italy and their process indicators.
Since 1996, Italian national guidelines have recommended to regions the implementation of organised screening programmes for cervical cancer. As in the previous years, starting from 1998, we collected aggregated tables of data from Italian organised cervical screening programmes in order to centrally compute process indicators. In 2005, the target population of Italian organised screening programmes included 10,969,571 women, corresponding to 66.7% of Italian women aged 25-64 years. However, these programmes invited only 24.8% of their target population in 2005, vs. 33.3% expected in order to invite the entire target population in the 3-year recommended interval. Compliance to invitation was 36.7%, with a clear North-South decreasing trend. It must however be considered that many women are screened outside the organised programmes. The remaining process indicators deal with women invited during 2004 and screened up to April 2005. Unsatisfactory smears were 3.1%. It was recommended to 6.1% of women to repeat cytology, and 61% of them complied. Some (2.5%) of screened women were referred to colposcopy. Compliance to colposcopy was 84.7% among women referred because of ASCUS or more severe cytology and 88.2% among those referred because of HSIL or more severe cytology. The Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of referral because of ASCUS or more severe cytology for CIN2 or more severe histology was 15.5%. There was a relevant variability of both referral rate and PPV, that were inversely related, and 10 % ofprogrammes referred > 5% of women, suggesting too broad criteria of interpretation of cytology. The unadjusted detection rate ofhistologically confirmed CIN2 or more severe was 2.7 per 1000 screened women (3.0 per 1000, standardised on the Italian population, truncated 25-64).
Ronco
Guglielmo
G
CPO Piemonte, Torino.
Giubilato
Pamela
P
Naldoni
Carlo
C
Zorzi
Manuel
M
Anghinoni
Emanuela
E
Scalisi
Aurora
A
Dalla Palma
Paolo
P
Zanier
Loris
L
Federici
Antonio
A
Angeloni
Claudio
C
Prandini
Stefania
S
Maglietta
Rocco
R
Mancini
Ettore
E
Pizzuti
Renato
R
Iossa
Anna
A
Segnan
Nereo
N
Zappa
Marco
M
D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*