“Not a nice experience, not at all”: Underprivileged women's experiences of being confronted with cervical cancer

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna E. Maree ◽  
Gayle Langley ◽  
Lucy Nqubezelo
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Women's Experiences

AbstractObjective:Research on women's experiences of cervical cancer as a health problem focuses primarily on cervical screening, while their experiences of cervical cancer as a disease seem to be underresearched. This study addresses this understudied area and aims to yield insight into the experiences of underprivileged women confronted with this disease.Method:Our study was qualitative, exploratory, and contextual with descriptive and interpretive elements. The context of the study was a radiation oncology department at an academic hospital in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The target population was all patients diagnosed with cervical cancer referred for treatment at the specific hospital. Convenience sampling selected participants typical of the population. Nineteen open-ended unstructured interviews were conducted after demographic data were collected. One question was posed: “Please tell me what made you think there was something wrong with you?” Thematic analyses were used to analyze the data.Results:The average age of participants was 47.2 years, with a youngest participant of 29 and oldest of 70. Three themes arose from the data: experiencing the symptoms of cervical cancer, hearing the bad news, and what remained unsaid.Significance of Results:Being confronted with cervical cancer is a traumatic experience. Women suffer unexplained, severe, humiliating vaginal bleeding and unrelieved pain. They have to face a dual healthcare system: on the one hand, unaffordable effective private healthcare and, on the other, the free-of-cost public healthcare that failed them. The bad news of their cervical cancer is most commonly broken in a kind and sympathetic manner, yet misunderstandings and a need for additional information prevail after the bad news conversation. Having to inform their families of their cancer adds to their suffering.

scholarly journals Indigenous Australian women's experiences of participation in cervical screening

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. e0234536
Author(s):  
Tamara L. Butler ◽  
Kate Anderson ◽  
John R. Condon ◽  
Gail Garvey ◽  
Julia M. L. Brotherton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences

scholarly journals Women’s experiences of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program in Australia 12 months following implementation: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e039041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael H Dodd ◽  
Olivia A Mac ◽  
Kirsten J McCaffery
Keyword(s):  
Screening Program ◽  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Hpv Status ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
History Of ◽  
Abnormal Results

ObjectiveTo explore women’s experiences of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program in Australia from the perspective of women who have received different human papillomavirus (HPV) test results. Women aged 25 to 74 are now screened every 5 years with primary HPV screening.DesignQualitative interview study.SettingAustralia.ParticipantsWomen in Australia aged 25 to 74 who reported participating in cervical screening since December 2017, purposively sampled by test result (HPV positive, HPV negative and HPV status unknown).Methods26 interviews with women aged 25 to 74 were conducted and analysed thematically.ResultsThree main themes emerged: knowledge and attitudes about the programme changes, information dissemination, the meaning and responses to test results and the new cervical screening test (CST). Some women showed little awareness of the changes, but others understood that HPV is detected earlier than abnormal cells. Some expressed positive attitudes towards the CST and were not anxious about less frequent screening. Most women envisaged the changes would have minimal impact on their screening behaviour. Women mainly wanted more information about the changes and the possible results from the new CST. Overall women could recall their HPV results and understand the implications for future cervical screening. Anxiety about being at ‘increased risk’ was more apparent in women who were HPV positive without history of abnormal results.ConclusionsWomen show some understanding of HPV and the new CST, but more written and public communication about the changes and possible results are warranted. Efforts are needed to ensure that women who are HPV positive without history of abnormal results receive the information needed to alleviate anxiety.

Opportunities and challenges in cervical cancer screening program in Kazakhstan: Results after imPACT review.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18020-e18020
Author(s):  
Dilyara Kaidarova ◽  
Raikhan Bolatbekova ◽  
Alma Zhylkaidarova ◽  
Tolkyn Sadykova ◽  
Yerlan Kukubassov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Gynecological Cancer ◽  
Cervical Screening ◽  
Pap Test ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Screening Programs

e18020 Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide, where the majority of registered patients are in developing countries. Screening programs in developed countries have reduced morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer by more than 2 times. Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common gynecological cancer in Kazakhstan (KZ). Standardized incidence rate of CC was 18.2 per 100,000, while the mortality rate was 6.2 per 100,000, in 2019. The National Cervical Screening program in KZ uses cytology (Pap test) from 2008. Screening program funded by the State budget. In 2016, Experts of imPACT Mission analyzed the CC screening and made recommendations for improvement. Since 2018 target age of CC screening expanded to 30-70 years and shortened the interval to 4 years, strengthened the control of patients with pre-cancerous pathology. Until 2018, people came to a fixed age; today we start CC screening within the target age at any age at the time of the first visit. The purpose of this study is to analyze cytological screening results in KZ after imPACT recommendations. Methods: Coverage, the number of screened women, the level of pre-cancer detection and cervical cancer during screening have been obtained from specific reports (form № 025, № 08) for 2008-2019. Results: The total number of screened women was in 6.775.975. There is a decrease in the number of screened women by 32% from 2008 to 2017. Since improvement of CC screening we increased coverage from 49.9% in 2017 (abs. number 409.124) to 89% in 2019 (abs. number 954.322). According to the results of screening, 2603 cases of CC were registered in 12 years. Analysis of screening results showed a marked increase in the detection of CC with an increasing by 67%. The persentage of registered cases of ASH+HSIL increased from 0.136% to 0.673%. Conclusions: there has been an increase in the coverage by screening of the target population since the screening update. During the study period, there has been an improvement in the detection of precancerous pathology and cancer in the early stage. Despite the positive results of screening, sufficient coverage by screening, certain successes in detecting the initial stage of CC, mortality rate from CC remain high, which makes it necessary to improve the screening of CC in KZ through the introduction of HPV-screening.

scholarly journals Immigrant women's experiences and views on the prevention of cervical cancer: a qualitative study

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Grandahl ◽  
Tanja Tydén ◽  
Maria Gottvall ◽  
Ragnar Westerling ◽  
Marie Oscarsson
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences

A reproductive justice approach to understanding women's experiences with HPV and cervical cancer prevention

2019 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Sundstrom ◽  
Ellie Smith ◽  
Cara Delay ◽  
John S. Luque ◽  
Caroline Davila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Prevention ◽  
Cervical Cancer Prevention ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences
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