Cervical cancer screening among indigenous women in the Xingu Indian Reservation, central Brazil

Although the literature presents worrisome data regarding the incidence of cervical cancer among indigenous populations, in Brazil there is very little information regarding the occurrence of this type of cancer among indigenous peoples. Therefore, the objective of the present descriptive study was to assess the prevalence of cervical cancer and of cervical and vaginal infections among 423 indigenous women living in the Xingu Indian Reservation, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. These women were or had been sexually active. Data were collected between 1989 and 1996. Clinical and gynecological examinations were carried out prior to the collection of cervical specimens and to the performance of cytologic analyses. Upon detection of abnormalities, a colposcopy and a biopsy were also performed. Our results show that 1% of the women studied presented invasive carcinoma and that 3% presented premalignant lesions. In addition, 84% presented inflammatory atypia, resulting from sexually transmitted genital infections. The present findings are in accordance with the results of other international reports regarding the high prevalence of cervical conditions among indigenous populations, and they underscore the need to extend to the indigenous peoples of Brazil programs aiming at the control of sexually transmitted diseases and at the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.