Preliminary results of the first cervical cancer screening programme in the North Eastern region of Romania.

Objective: Cervical cancer represents a major health problem in Romania. A national population-based cervical cancer screening programme was launched in 2012. The aims of the study were to assess the participation rate and to estimate the prevalence of epithelial cell abnormalities in the first four years of the programme in North Eastern Romania. Methods: The participation rate, representing the proportion of eligible women screened in the programme, was evaluated for 2012-2016. The prevalence of cytological abnormalities was estimated by age group and calendar year. Results: Of 107,968 Pap smears taken, 312 were unsatisfactory (0.3%). The number of smears decreased by year. The participation rate over the four years was 16.9%. Of the 107,656 satisfactory smears, 6.5% were positive for squamous and/ or glandular lesion, among which 0.5% contained high-grade squamous intraepithelial or worse lesions. Conclusion: The participation rate in the first four years of the programme was low. The effectiveness of the screening programme should be improved by attendance monitoring of the target population, and follow-up of screen-positive women. Measures should be taken to raise coverage and assure quality at all steps of the screening chain. The data collected should include all screening tests from both opportunistic and organized settings.