APPLICABILITY OF THE "SEE AND TREAT" METHOD IN CYTOLOGICAL AND COLPOSCOPIC FINDINGS SUGGESTIVE OF HIGH-GRADE INTRAEPITHELIAL LESION (HSIL) IN A REFERRAL CENTER IN NORTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

In Brazil, 16,340 new cases of cervical cancer were estimated – an increase of 4.8% compared to 2014 – remaining the third most common cancer among Brazilian women. Despite advances in screening policies, diagnosis is still made in advanced stages of the disease. In this sense, the application of the "see and treat" method can be fundamental for efficient treatment, with lower cost and less loss of patient follow-up. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the agreement of cytological, colposcope, and histological findings, considering the applicability of the "See and Treat" method, to project the performance of the method in a reference center in the North of the country. This is a cross-sectional, retrospective, quantitative, descriptive study. The study data were collected from the electronic medical records of patients treated at the Lower Genital Tract Pathology Outpatient Clinic (FSCMPA) of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia Hospital in 2023. Data were collected regarding the pathology, type of management and treatment performed, such as the application of the "See and treat" method, histopathological examination results and final diagnosis, as well as possible changes in the course of the disease and/or treatment. Each case was classified as: histopathological positive for HSIL and histopathological negative for HSIL. In this study, among the patients with larger colposcopic findings, about 28% could have benefited from the application of the see-and-treat method. To reduce the waiting time for treatment (on average 3 months and 20 days). Despite this, this value is still unfavorable for seeing and treating.