In patients with physical disabilities, lack of access to timely cervical cancer screening can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment.
- Fewer women with any disability (50.2%) benefit from HPV-HR tests, which look for the presence of the HPV virus (Human Papillomavirus), than non-disabled patients (54.8%).
- The screening rate is higher among women with cognitive disabilities (55.9%).
- It is lower among participants with a sensory (49.7%), physical (48.2%) or more than two disabilities (47.8%).
Despite the gradual decline in cervical cancer mortality due to greater use of screening, disparities in screening among adult women based on disability type have not been examined. This is why American researchers conducted a study. As part of their research, published in the journal American Journal of Preventive Medicinethey looked at data from 189,795 women aged 25 to 64.
Participants’ disability was defined as having a sensory disability, a cognitive disability, a physical disability, more than two disabilities, or no disability. Descriptive analyzes were used to estimate the proportion of HPV-HR tests, which look for the presence of the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) virus. In addition, the scientists also estimated the risk factors for cervical cancer screening based on the type of disability.
Less likely to be tested for HPV-HR due to physical and multiple disabilities
According to the results, 53.8% of volunteers met the recommendations of the American Cancer Society, which advises having an HR-HPV test every five years for all women aged 25 to 65. The authors found that the proportion of HR-HPV tests was lower in patients with any disability (50.2%) than in participants without disabilities (54.8%). However, depending on the type of disability, the screening rate was higher among women with cognitive disabilities (55.9%) and lower among those with sensory disabilities (49.7%), physical (48.2%) or more than two disabilities (47.8%) than among women without a disability.
Cervical cancer: “Improving access to preventive health services for women” with disabilities
According to the team, disabled patients may thus encounter multiple social and economic obstacles in accessing health care. A lack of access to cervical cancer screening, through a human papillomavirus (HPV) test, at the right time can cause delayed diagnosis and treatment. “There is an urgent need to understand the genesis of these disparities and identify ways to improve access to preventive health services for women with specific types of disabilities”said Amarachukwu F. Orji, lead author of the research, in a statement.
