Active search of women as an efficacy factor for a breast and cervical cancer screening program in the city of Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the profile of women looking for gynecological care to the profile of women invited to participate in the program, assessing breast and cervical cancer risk factors in each group and comparing Papanicolaou's test and mammography results. METHODS: Medical records of 46 women participating in a breast and cervical cancer prevention program and 42 medical reports of women that regularly visited the primary healthcare unit from August to December 2006 were examined. RESULTS: The mean interval between the last Papanicolaou's tests was of approximately 19.7 months when comparing women visiting their physician and 25.3 participants in the program. There was one case (1.1%) of high grade intraepithelial lesion in one woman included in the program. Regarding breast cancer, when comparing both groups, we verified that all women above the age of 40 years that participated in the program underwent mammography; this was not verified in the group seeing a physician. This shows the efficacy of this screening, actively looking for women in the age group at risk for breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Active search is important to recruit women; the screening program needs improvement to show its real impact on morbidity and mortality of these cancers.