Factors related to cervical cancer screening among Asian women

Objective Cervical cancer is largely preventable. Although routine Pap smear screening has reduced cervical cancer-related mortality by 70-80% in all countries and by approximately 90% in developing countries, the gynecologist is still confronted with women in advanced stages of the disease. The eradication of cervical cancer depends on identifying the disease early and removing barriers to its timely detection. Given the significant burden of cervical cancer in Asian countries, we investigated factors related to its screening in Asia. Materials and methods A comprehensive search was carried out in databases such as Medline, Web of Science and Scopus for articles published until September 2020. The following keywords were used: vaginal smear, Pap smear, cervical cancer screening, barriers, obstacles, challenge, early detection, the name of each Asian country, and a combination of these words. Results Seventy-five articles were included in the study. The investigation revealed various factors related to cervical cancer screening in Asian women, including sociodemographic factors, awareness, attitudes and beliefs, perceived risk, psychological factors, self-efficacy, previous experiences, time, household, culture, fatalism, social support, access, cost, safety, insurance and health system-related factors. Conclusions Several barriers hinder the efficacy of a screening program. Its success requires the use of educational interventions, professional and inter-professional cooperation, allocation of sufficient resources, and policymakers focusing on the elimination of barriers

Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer and Pre-Cancerous Lesions by Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Review

The likelihood of timely treatment for cervical cancer increases with timely detection of abnormal cervical cells. Automated methods of detecting abnormal cervical cells were established because manual identification requires skilled pathologists and is time consuming and prone to error. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the prediction, screening, and diagnosis of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions

Sexual Function in Woman with Urinary Incontinence: A Cross-Sectional Study from Iran

Abstract Ob jective: Urinary incontinence is a co mmon problem throughout the world that affects wo men fro m all cultures, ages and ethnic groups. This study aimed to assess the impact of different type of urinary incontinence on sexual function. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed fro m April 2012 to October 2012 among wo men co mplaining of urinary incontinence who were referred to a large teaching hospital, in Teh ran, Iran. Sexual function was measured with Pelvic organ pro lapse/ urinary incontinence sexual questionnaire (PISQ). Urinary incontinence was determined with Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnose (QUID). Participants were divided into three groups of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urge urinary incontinence (UUI) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) and then sexual function was compared among these groups. Results: In all, 400 wo men were entered into the study. Among the whole participants, 223 patients (55.8%) co mplained of SUI, 97 patients (24.2%) of UUI and 80 patients (20%) of M UI. There was significant association between sexual function and type of urinary incontinence (P<0.001). Mixed urinary incontinence had a greater disruptive effect on sexual function compared to other groups. Among other groups, scores in UUI group were lower than SUI. Higher age groups had lower sexual function scores and there were significant differences among age g roups (P<0.001). The results obtained from mu ltip le logistic regression analysis showed that the most significant contributing factor to total PISQ scores was age. Conclusions: The findings fro m th is study suggest that UI affect sexual function and that MUI has a greater effect on sexual function than the other two types of incontinence

Global, regional and national burden, incidence, and mortality of cervical cancer

Abstract Aim Among gynecological cancers, cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer‐related death in developing countries. This study analyzes the incidence, mortality, and burden of cervical cancer using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study. Materials and Methods The GBD (2019) data on cervical cancer was extracted from the Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) query tool. Age‐standardized rate (ASR) incidence, deaths, lost years of life (YLLs), years of life with disabilities (YLDs), and adjusted years of life with disabilities (DALYs) of cervical cancer in women were extracted. Data were extracted globally for 204 countries and groups based on a socio‐demographic index (SDI), World Health Organization (WHO) regions, continents, World Bank regions, and 22 GBD regions. Results The higher standardized age incidence of cervical cancer is in lower SDI countries, Africa, the African region (According to the WHO), and Sub‐Saharan Africa (According to GBD regions). The highest deaths of ASR is in countries with low SDI, low‐income group, Africa, the African region (According to the World Health Organization), and Sub‐Saharan Africa (According to GBD regions). According to SDI classification, the highest DALYs ASR is in low SDI countries, World Bank Low‐income countries, African and then American continents, African region, Sub‐Saharan Africa, and then Latin America & Caribbean‐WB (Based on GBD regions). Conclusion In 2019, incidence, mortality, and DALYs of cervical cancer mostly affected countries with lower socioeconomic status. Given that cervical cancer is highly preventable, access to screening services and the presence of trained and knowledgeable health care staff can reduce illness, suffering, and death caused by this malignancy. It is recommended to use the national and international potentials to reduce the incidence of this malignancy

Psychological Distress Among Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic in the World: A Systematic Review

Aim: Patients with malignancies, experience high rates of psychological distress. Fear of Corona-infection combined with the interruptions in some treatment programs might affect the psychological health of cancer patients. This review study was conducted to investigate the psychological distress among cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic to offer system-adapted individual solutions.Materials and methods: To identify the psychological distress of cancer patients, a comprehensive search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. English language and original articles were included in this study. Articles that addressed any psychological distress among cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic were included.Results: At first 1,410 articles, were included in the study. After removing duplicate articles and reviewing the title and abstract, 55 articles were selected for the review. The findings of this study revealed COVID-19 greatly affects psychological health of cancer patients. Fear of COVID-19, fear of disease progression, disruption of oncology services, cancer stage, and immunocompromised status were the most common causes of psychological distress in oncology patients which can influence patients' decisions about treatment.Conclusion: The COVID-19 related anxiety is an expected reaction to the current situation. Although psychological distress affects many people, it can confuse cancer patients to the point that they refuse to continue treatment for the fear of infection and worsening of their condition. Since the end of this pandemic is unknown, this action can endanger the health and prognosis of this group of patients, so it seems that using psychological interventions and intensive counseling in the current situation is one of the main priorities for cancer patients

The global, regional and national epidemiology, incidence, mortality, and burden of ovarian cancer

Abstract Background Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among gynecological malignancies and is associated with poor prognosis. Since the accurate assessment of the global burden along with the trend of cancers contributes to the development of policies, this study aimed to explain the incidence, mortality, and burden of ovarian cancer using the global burden of disease (GBD) 2019 study. Methods Epidemiological data have been collected from the study of the GBD 2019. Data were extracted globally for 204 countries and groups based on a socio‐demographic index (SDI), WHO regions, continents, World Bank regions, and 22 GBD regions. Results In 2019, a total of 294,422 new cases of ovarian cancer were reported. The highest age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR) was reported in areas with higher SDI, World high‐income countries, continental Europe, and then America. In GBD regions, the highest age‐standardized incidence is in Central Europe. In 2019, a total of 198,412 deaths due to ovarian cancer were reported. The highest ASR death is related to countries with high SDI and the World Bank high‐income countries. In 2019, adjusted years of life with disabilities (DALYs) due to ovarian cancer were reported to be 5,359,737, of which 5,205,660 were related to lost years of life (YLLs), and 154,077 were related to years of life with disabilities (YLDs). Conclusions In 2019, the highest age‐standardized incidence of ovarian cancer, ASR death, and DALYs ASR belong to the high SDI countries. Designing interventions based on risk factors as well as providing preventive approaches to reduce the risk of this cancer, improving the treatment of ovarian cancer, and using appropriate and invasive treatments are recommended