FEASIBILITY OF DIGITAL COLPOSCOPY USING SMARTPHONES: LITERATURE REVIEW AND PROPOSAL FOR APPLICATION IN PRIMARY CARE

Abstract

Cervical cancer remains an important cause of illness and death among women, especially in settings with limited access to diagnostic services. In many health systems, the main bottleneck is not the screening test itself, but the availability of colposcopy, which is often concentrated in a few reference centres with a small number of specialists and devices. The rapid evolution of smartphone cameras offers a concrete opportunity to obtain high-quality images of the uterine cervix directly in primary care. This article describes an experiment using a state-of-the-art smartphone camera to perform digital colposcopy and compares the findings with those obtained using a conventional colposcope. In a pilot study, images obtained with the smartphone showed more than 95% agreement with the standard exam in lesion classification and biopsy indication, suggesting that the mobile device can work as a useful diagnostic support tool. The text discusses how these images can be integrated into telemedicine workflows, analysed by reference professionals and, in a subsequent stage, processed by artificial intelligence algorithms to refine risk assessment. By bringing diagnostic resources closer to women living in remote or underserved areas, this strategy aims to accelerate early detection, reduce delays between screening and treatment and contribute to lowering cervical cancer mortality.