The indicator describes the following: Proportion of women between the ages of 25 and 69 screened for cervical cancer under a national screening programme at least once, or more often.
This indicator is part of Target (9): Essential medicines and basic technologies for the treatment of serious non-communicable diseases.
Women are recommended to undergo screening for precancerous changes in connection with cervical cancer every third year. The indicator describes the proportion of women screened within 3.5 years.
Breast cancer screening is not included as an NCD indicator.
Results
- In the target group for the Cervical Screening Programme, women aged 25-69, the coverage level for screening within 3.5 years was 69 per cent in 2016.
- A weak declining trend has been observed since 2004, but it appears that the trend has now been reversed, especially among the youngest women.
Figure 1. Coverage level for screening as part of the Cervical Screening Programme within 3.5 years, in 15-year age groups, as a percentage, 1994-2016. Source: The National Population Register and the Cytology/HPV Registries at the Norwegian Cancer Registry. See table below.
Table accompanying Figure 1
|
|
Ages 25–39 |
Ages 40–54 |
Ages 55–69 |
Ages 25–69 |
|
1994 |
72 |
68 |
46 |
65 |
|
1995 |
74 |
71 |
53 |
68 |
|
1996 |
74 |
73 |
58 |
70 |
|
1997 |
74 |
73 |
60 |
70 |
|
1998 |
73 |
74 |
63 |
71 |
|
1999 |
73 |
75 |
65 |
72 |
|
2000 |
72 |
74 |
65 |
71 |
|
2001 |
72 |
74 |
65 |
71 |
|
2002 |
72 |
75 |
68 |
72 |
|
2003 |
71 |
75 |
69 |
72 |
|
2004 |
71 |
75 |
70 |
72 |
|
2005 |
70 |
74 |
69 |
71 |
|
2006 |
68 |
73 |
69 |
70 |
|
2007 |
67 |
73 |
68 |
69 |
|
2008 |
66 |
73 |
68 |
69 |
|
2009 |
65 |
72 |
68 |
68 |
|
2010 |
64 |
71 |
67 |
67 |
|
2011 |
63 |
71 |
67 |
67 |
|
2012 |
62 |
70 |
67 |
66 |
|
2013 |
63 |
70 |
66 |
66 |
|
2014 |
63 |
70 |
66 |
66 |
|
2015 |
65 |
71 |
67 |
68 |
|
2016 |
67 |
72 |
67 |
69 |
Table 1 Coverage level for screening as part of the Cervical Screening Programme within 3.5 years, in 15-year age groups, as a percentage, 1994-2016. Source: The National Population Register and the Cytology/HPV Registries at the Cancer Registry of Norway.
Data source: Cancer Registry of Norway
The data source for this indicator is the annual report by the Cervical Screening Programme and data from the Cytology/HPV Registries, both at the Cancer Registry of Norway. A description and definitions follow below.
Description
The Cancer Registry of Norway manages the national screening programme in which women between the ages of 25 and 69 receive letters reminding them to visit their GP for a cervical smear test every third year. The Cervical Cancer Screening Programme has been nationwide since 1995 and an annual report is published.
- The Norwegian Cancer Registry
- Cervical cancer screening
- Annual reports from the Cervical Cancer Screening Programme
Effect measure
3.5-year coverage level as a percentage. This describes the proportion of women who have undergone at least one smear test during the last 3.5 years.
The level of coverage is calculated from the base population minus those individuals who have had gynaecological cancer or whose cervix was removed for other reasons. The structure of the Norwegian Cervical Cancer Screening Programme requires women to proactively contact their doctor and reminders are sent out where there is no record of a cervical smear test after three or four years. For this reason, the level of coverage is defined as the number of women who have undergone at least one smear test during the course of one time period. We report coverage levels of over 3.5 years.
The calculations take as their starting point all women registered in the National Population Register as of 31st December at the end of the time period, after which investigation takes place into whether these women reported at least one cervical smear test (or, where appropriate, HPV test as a primary test) 3.5 years earlier.
Global indicator definition
Indicator 25. Proportion of women between the ages of 30 and 49 screened for cervical cancer at least once, or more often, and for lower or higher age groups according to national programmes or policies.
National adaptation
In Norway, all women between 25 and 69 years of age are screened. This is a wider age range than in WHO’s indicator definition.
Authors and contacts
Text compiled by the Cervical Cancer Screening Programmeat the Norwegian Cancer Registry and the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.