Cervical cancer control limiting factors and facilitators: A literature review

Abstract

This paper reviews the limiting factors and facilitators of access to Brazilian cervical cancer care public health services. This review employed bibliographic database Medline (interface with the Virtual Health Library/BVS and PubMed) and Lilacs/SciELO portals. We sought publications for the period 2011-2016 based on the use of specific terms from the sources consulted, regarding “cervical neoplasms” and “access to health services”. We found 704 papers initially, which were shortlisted to 31 following adopted criteria, which were further reduced to 19 papers to make up the final selection. Access facilitating aspects such as wide coverage of the Pap smear test and coverage of biopsies equivalent to the number of altered prevention tests were mentioned. However, access limiting aspects such as inadequate Pap smear’s periodicity, difficulties in scheduling appointments and exams, high rate of advanced staging and delays in diagnosis and treatment onset were also reported.