Browsing by Author "Ekholm, Mauritz"

Objectives Few studies have focused on the association between childhood and young adulthood cancers and cancer screening attendance. Our aim was to assess the effect of cancer diagnosed before the age of 30 years on first-time cervical screening attendance. Methods Using the nation-wide and population-based Finnish Cancer Registry and the Mass Screening Registry, we identified 4,491 cancer patients born between years 1961 and 1988 and diagnosed with cancer before age 30 and alive at the time of first cervical cancer screening invitation at age 25 or 30 years. Attendance probability to screening was compared between individuals with and without a prior cancer diagnosis. Results Compared to women with no previous cancer (attendance probability of 58% in study period), difference in attendance to first-time screening invitation was observed among women with previous cervical cancer (24%), other malignant gynaecologic cancer (43%) and borderline ovarian tumours (48%). Attendance among women with other previous cancer types did not differ from women with no previous cancer. Differences in the attendance probability of cancer survivors and cancer free individuals also varied between catchment areas. Conclusions The low cervical cancer screening attendance among survivors of previous gynecologic cancers and borderline ovarian tumors calls for further exploration on the reasons. As attendance probability differed among survivors of gynecological and other types of cancer significantly only if the invitation came <5 years after the cancer diagnosis, one likely explanation is ongoing oncologic follow-up. Regional differences underline the importance of national guidelines.