Cervical cancer screening in the Faroe Islands

Figures & data

Table I. Number of cytological samples classified according to grade of cytological abnormality.

Cytological diagnosis	1996–1998 N (%)	1999–2001 N (%)	2002–2004 N (%)	2005–2007 N (%)	2008–2010 N (%)	2011–2012 N (%)	1996–2012 N (%)
Unknown	41 (0.4%)	122 (1.2%)	221 (2.4%)	126 (1.5%)	164 (1.9%)	148 (2.6%)	822 (1.6%)
Inadequate	1174 (11.0%)	836 (8.5%)	961 (10.2%)	838 (10.0%)	213 (2.5%)^a	9 (0.2%)	4031 (7.7%)
Normal	9142 (85.6%)	8326 (84.4%)	7919 (84.6%)	7181 (85.8%)	7595 (88.4%)	5043 (90.2%)	45 206 (86.2%)
ASCUS	156 (1.5%)	391 (4.0%)	133 (1.4%)	154 (1.8%)	359 (4.2%)	179 (3.2%)	1372 (2.6%)
LSIL	75 (0.7%)	106 (1.1%)	81 (0.9%)	42 (0.5%)	86 (1.0%)	94 (1.7%)	484 (0.9%)
≥ HSIL	86 (0.8%)	86 (0.9%)	47 (0.5%)	30 (0.4%)	175 (2.0%)	118 (2.1%)	542 (1.0%)
≥ ASCUS	317 (3.0%)	583 (5.9%)	261 (2.8%)	226 (2.7%)	620 (7.2%)	391 (7.0%)	2398 (4.6%)
Total	10 674 (100%)	9867 (100%)	9362 (100%)	8371 (100%)	8592 (100%)	5591 (100%)	52 457 (100%)
RR of ≥ ASCUS (95% CI)	0.42 (0.37–0.49)	0.84 (0.75–0.96)	0.40 (0.34–0.46)	0.39 (0.33–0.45)	1.03 (0.91–1.17)	1.00 (ref.)

ASCUS, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; CI, confidence interval; HSIL, high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (including atypical squamous cells – HSIL cannot be excluded, atypical glandular cells, adenocarcinoma in situ, and squamous carcinoma); LSIL, low–grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia; RR, relative risk.

^aThe proportion of inadequate smears was 7.2% in 2008, 0.5% in 2009 and 0.3% in 2010.

Table II. 3.5-year screening coverage rates of women aged 25–60 years on 31 December, and number of excess smears per year per 1000 women in the target age group.

Year	Coverage (%)	RR (95% CI)	Excess smears per 1000 (N)
1999	75%	1 (ref.)	164
2000	70%	0.93 (0.91–0.95)	89
2001	71%	0.95 (0.93–0.96)	44
2002	70%	0.93 (0.91–0.94)	98
2003	67%	0.89 (0.87–0.90)	90
2004	66%	0.88 (0.87–0.90)	52
2005	66%	0.88 (0.87–0.90)	53
2006	65%	0.87 (0.85–0.88)	80
2007	64%	0.86 (0.84–0.87)	23
2008	64%	0.86 (0.84–0.87)	36
2009	67%	0.89 (0.88–0.91)	100
2010	67%	0.89 (0.88–0.91)	35
2011	68%	0.91 (0.89–0.92)	45
2012	66%	0.88 (0.87–0.90)	56

Table III. 3.5-year cervical cancer screening coverage rates by age group on 31 December.

Age group (years)	1999 (%)	2012 (%)
25–29	61%	66%
30–34	75%	65%
35–39	82%	67%
40–44	84%	69%
45–49	77%	68%
50–54	74%	70%
55–60	68%	59%
25–60	75%	66%

Table IV. HPV tests among women screened in the Faroe Islands in the period 2009–2012.

Year	HPV tests (N)	HPV tests with ASCUS at age ≥ 30 years (N, % of HPV tests)	Positive HPV tests (N, % of HPV tests with ASCUS at age ≥ 30 years)
2009	131	121 (92%)	33 (27%)
2010	124	98 (79%)	26 (27%)
2011	98	81 (83%)	23 (28%)
2012	92	48 (52%)	23 (48%)
2009–2012	445	348 (78%)	105 (30%)

ASCUS, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; HPV, human papillomavirus.

Table V. The proportion of ASCUS samples at age ≥ 30 years with HPV testing in 2009–2012.

Year	ASCUS at age ≥ 30 years (N)	ASCUS at age ≥ 30 years tested for HPV (N, %)
2009	159	121 (76%)
2010	104	98 (94%)
2011	85	81 (95%)
2012	60	48 (80%)
2009–2012	408	348 (85%)

ASCUS, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; HPV, human papillomavirus.

Table VI. Four-year screening history of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2000–2012.

	No screening (N = 18)		Screening with normal cytological samples (N = 10)		Screening with abnormal cytological samples (N = 3)
	Number	(%)	Number	(%)	Number	(%)
Age group (years)
0–24	0		0		0
25–29	0		0		0
30–34	0		0		0
35–39	2	11%	3	30%	2	67%
40–44	3	17%	1	10%	0
45–49	1	5%	0		1	33%
50–54	1	5%	2	20%	0
55–60	3	17%	1	10%	0
61+	8	45%	3	30%	0
Histology types
Squamous	15	83%	6	60%	2	67%
Adenocarcinomas	2	11%	2	20%	1	33%
Other & unknown	1	6%	2	20%
Stage
Localised	11*	61%	4	40%	2	67%
Regional metastases	3	17%	2	20%
Distant metastases	2	11%	1	10%
Unknown	2	11%	3	30%	1	33%
Total	18	100%	10	100%	3	100%

*One cancer case was registered as FIGO stadium 1 and one cancer case as stadium 2. No further information on sub-staging was available.