Prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital at Rajshahi

Abstract

Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a precancerous cervical condition with the potential to develop into cervical carcinoma if untreated. While research on CIN and cervical carcinoma exists in various regions, the Rajshahi area lacks such investigations. Examining the prevalence of CIN and cervical carcinoma in this region is essential. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of CIN and cervical carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital at Rajshahi in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the department of pathology, Rajshahi medical college, and the department of gynaecology and obstetrics, Rajshahi medical college hospital, Rajshahi, Bangladesh from July 2019 to June 2022. A total of 1000 VIA test-positive cases of cervical lesions were enrolled as study subjects purposively. Data were processed and analyzed by the MS office tools. Results: Cervical carcinoma was identified through cytological analysis in 4.6% of cases, with 7.6% exhibiting high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and 13.1% showing low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). Through histopathological analysis, cervical carcinoma found in 5.3% of cases, CIN-grade III (CIN-III) in 7.1%, and CIN-II and CIN-I in 2.2%, 16.4% of cases, respectively. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate was 0.70%. Conclusions: The prevalence of CIN and cervical carcinoma in the Rajshahi region of Bangladesh is alarmingly high. These findings underscore the pressing need for the immediate implementation of a comprehensive vaccination and awareness development program for cervical carcinoma.