A review of a prison cervical cancer screening program in British Columbia

Objective: To review a 1995 Pap smear screening program at Burnaby Correcti onal Centre for Women (BCCW). Method: 129 inmates (15%), were screened in BCCW in 1995. General populatio n data were obtained from the British Columbia Cervical Cytology Screening Program (BC CCSP) Registry. Results: BCCW inmates aged 25-29 years were 11 times more likely to have hi gh grade cytologic abnormalities on Pap smear screening compared with age-m atched general population (p < 10(-10)). In the 20-34 year age group, 47% o f BCCW inmates had received at least one Pap smear in 1992-1994, compared w ith 87% of the general population (p < 0.001). There was no relationship be tween pap smear results and BCCW inmate ethnicity (p = 0.85). Conclusions: Prison inmates presented with more severe abnormalities on Pap smear screening at a younger age, and had received Pap smear screening les s frequently, compared with the general population.