Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women Aged 30–50 in Low-Income Urban Areas, Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract:

Background: In Pakistan, cervical cancer is a public health issue for women aged 30-50 years old. Cervical cancer is a very painful infectious disease caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Early diagnosis is very necessary. There is a specific risk for women who live in rural areas, as they typically have less infrastructure, stigma, and awareness. Women in urban contexts, while having some improved access to service,s even when compared with rural women, but still underserved, with some of the same barriers, but due to misinformation and lifestyle factors. 

Methods: A systematic review was conducted (PRISMA, PCC) on studies published in the period 2020-2025, through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Elicit, and Google Scholar. Included studies were evaluated using CASP checklists, and information on awareness, uptake of screening, and barriers to screening among low-income, urban women aged 30-50 was extracted.

Results: Cervical cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in females aged 30-50 years in Pakistan, with about 20 cases diagnosed per day. Pakistan is among the top ten countries with deaths from cervical cancer. Due to cultural reasons, knowledge regarding cervical screening is low, which leads to limited programming for screening, and several socio-cultural hurdles for women to access screening. These result in a diagnosis at a later stage, and the cervical cancer-related deaths are higher in Pakistan than for women in developed countries.

In Conclusion, Awareness of cervical cancer, to date, is very low in the cultures studied, with screening for cervical cancer through Pap smears maintained at less than 3%. Factors contributing to low awareness are low education levels, lack of a viable healthcare system, cultural stigmas, and socio-economic backdrop. Education must be culturally relevant and affordable, and reasonable accessibility to care for all aspects of family and language has to be factored into early detection of cervical cancer.