Research resource for cervical cancer screening in a metropolis: clinical base, cohorts and data

Abstract

DOI: 10.52705/2788-6190-2026-03-13
УДК 618.146-006.52/.56-092:578.827.1]-076

Background. The reliability and reproducibility of medical and social studies on cervical cancer screening depend on a transparent description of the empirical base, observation cohorts and data sources. Such a description is essential for interpreting results and transferring the design to other settings.
Objective. To characterize the research resource for evaluating organized cervical cancer screening in a large city.
Materials and methods. The article describes a multilevel clinical base, four observation cohorts, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and an information support system based on sociological, clinical, statistical and registry data.
Results. The study base included the organizational and managerial level, 12 primary health care centers from all 10 city districts, women’s consultation clinics, and tertiary institutions: the Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center and the National Cancer Institute. Four cohorts were formed: women who underwent screening (n = 4218), women with abnormal screening results (n = 387), health care workers involved in screening (n = 312), and women with indications for screening who had not participated. The information infrastructure combined validated questionnaires, cytology, molecular HPV testing, colposcopy and morphology results, medical documentation, official statistics, cancer registry data and the electronic medical information system. Triangulation of sources enabled comparison of individual, institutional and population levels and identification of organizational gaps.
Conclusions. The multilevel base, complementary cohorts and integrated data sources form a reproducible research resource suitable for evaluating the organization of cervical cancer screening in metropolitan settings, including contexts of high population mobility.