Barriers of Pap Smear

Globally, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with an estimate of 440,000 new cases annually, and 80% of these cases occurring in developing and undeveloped countries. In Malaysia, the population of females in the year 2000 was approximately 10.5 million. Approximately thirty percent of these females are in the reproductive period or older and are at risk of developing cervical cancer. This cancer of the cervix is the second most common cancer among females in Malaysia after breast cancer . There was an average of 2,000-3,000 hospital admission of cervical cancer per year in Malaysia, with the majority of cases presenting at late stages of the disease. In Malaysia, Pap smear screening program commenced in 1969 to ensure early detection of cervical cancer among the target group of women and until the year 2000, only about 850,000 women have undergone Pap smear tests out of the eligible 5.2 million female populations. Nevertheless, only 26% of women in Malaysia had undergone the Pap smear screening, therefore, the purpose of this book is to address the barriers towards Pap smear test.