Screening

Chapter 3: Gynaecological Cancer Screening

Overview:

• Includes World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for screening
• Explains terminology used in screening
• Identifies who requires screening
• Discusses screening for cervical and ovarian cancers
• Provides a tabulated summary of cervical-screening programs

Description:

Screening for gynaecological cancer is not a diagnostic test. Rather, screening involves offering investigations to asymptomatic women who are at risk of developing disease. Screening determines whether or not a woman has an abnormality and, if one is found, assigns a level of risk that determines future management. This chapter discusses screening for gynaecological cancers under the following headings: Aims and criteria; Limitations and disadvantages; Who needs screening?; Cervical cancer and Ovarian cancer.

Topics:

• Aims and criteria
• Limitations and disadvantages
• Who needs screening?
  • Cervical cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Endometrial cancer
  • Vulval and vaginal cancer
• Cervical cancer
  • Efficacy of cervical screening
  • An organised approach
  • Who should be screened?
  • Barriers to cervical screening
  • Methods for detecting pre-cancerous lesions and cervical cancer
  • Cervical-screening issues for developing countries
• Ovarian cancer
  • Efficacy of screening
  • Who should be screened?
  • Screening techniques

Speaker / Author:

Annie Stenlake
Annie is a registered nurse who holds an emergency-nursing certificate and a bachelor’s degree in health-service management (information). She is an associate fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Executives. Annie has worked in various capacities in the health sector, including five years as an emergency-care nurse at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney, Australia); ten years in the private sector in clinical nursing and quality management and two years as standards development project officer with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.

For most of the past ten years Annie has held her current position as the data manager/clinical trial coordinator for the Department of Gynaecological Oncology at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. During that time, she spent two years as project officer with the NSW Cervical Screening Program working on developing strategies to improve screening in the general practice setting. Since joining the Gynaecological Oncology Unit at Westmead, Annie has been responsible for coordinating the development and review of the clinical practice guidelines for the Gynaecological Oncology Study Group. She currently sits on the Research Advisory Committee for the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group.

Professional Reviews: