Background. Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy
in women worldwide with a high incidence in under-developed
countries and Nigeria is one of these countries. This study
aimed at screening for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear
and to identify risk factors for cervical cancer among women in
Olufadi community, Kwara state, North-central Nigeria.
Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving the screening
of women aged 25-64 years for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou
smear. Respondents were selected through systematic random sampling
of households. Interviewer- administered questionnaire and
clinical report form were also used to collect data. In addition, Pap
smear samples were taken. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.
Results. Only 10 (5.0%) respondents had positive cytology
result, while the rest were normal. Of the 10 positive cytology
results, 1(10.0%) was high grade squamous intraepithelial
lesion (HGSIL) while the remaining 9(90.0%) were low grade
squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) which corresponds to
0.5% and 4.5% of the total respondents respectively. Risk factors
for cervical cancer identified included coitarche, tobacco
smoking, number of sexual partners and family history of cervical
cancer.
Conclusion. The findings from this study attest to the increasing
burden of cervical cancer. The high number of positive results
obtained from the study coupled with the presence of risk factors
was an indication of how useful regular screening will be in the
early detection of cervical cancer.