BACKGROUND
While some experts recommend anal cancer screening for disproportionally affected populations including people living with HIV (PWH), condyloma acuminata, human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated gynecologic dysplasia and cancers, and solid organ transplants, actual screening practices remain understudied. Our objective was to characterize anal cancer screening practices among higher-risk populations in an academic medical system with access to high-resolution anoscopy (HRA).
METHODS
We extracted outpatient clinical data for the above populations from 01/01/2015 - 08/01/2022 at three sites of an academic medical system. Data included patients' demographics, medical comorbidities, and anal cytology and HPV testing results. We used chi-squared tests and logistic regression to assess for associations between patient characteristics and anal cancer screening.
RESULTS
Of 7654 patients, 6.3% received anal cytology screening at least once including 21.7% of PWH, 13.8% of people with condyloma acuminata, 1.1% of people with gynecologic cancers, and 0.5% of people with solid organ transplants. In multivariable analysis, Black patients were 46% less likely to receive screening than white patients (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.71), and cisgender women were 73% less likely to receive screening than cisgender men (95% CI 0.20-0.38). Of 485 individuals who received anal cytology screening, 37.5% were only screened once and 70.5% had abnormal cytology on one or more screenings.
CONCLUSION
Only one-fifth of PWH received anal cancer screening and other higher-risk populations had even lower screening rates. Black patients and women were also less likely to be screened. Strategies to improve equitable screening practices for anal cancer are needed.