Role of cervical cancer screening during prenatal checkups for infectious diseases: A retrospective, descriptive study

Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the status and role of cervical cytology affected by human papillomavirus infection and other infectious diseases screened during routine prenatal checkups. Methods We retrospectively examined medical records containing the screening results for infectious diseases and cervical cancer in women who delivered neonates in our hospital from 2014 to 2017. Results Among 3393 deliveries, 18.8% of women underwent a regular cervical cancer screening within 1 year of becoming pregnant, and 2641 women underwent a cervical cytology screening during this pregnancy. The cytological diagnostic results showed that 2562 women (97.0%) were negative for intraepithelial lesions or malignancy, whereas 79 (3.0%) had abnormal results. Of those with abnormal cytology results, 70 had abnormal cytology that was newly detected in this pregnancy, and 42 had grade ≥1 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions. Spatulas were the most frequently used cytological sampling instruments, followed by cotton swabs. Cervical cytology revealed no major adverse reactions during these pregnancies. Conclusions Our results confirm the importance of screening for infectious diseases during pregnancy. Only 20% of the women underwent a regular pre-pregnancy cervical cytology screening. Cervical cytology screening during pregnancy may currently be playing a crucial role in preventing cervical cancer in Japan.