Understanding women’s choices for management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 (CIN2): Qualitative analysis of a randomised experimental study

Abstract

Active surveillance for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 (CIN2) would allow time for most cases to regress naturally and in turn avoid potentially unnecessary and harmful treatment.

Aim To determine reasons for choosing active surveillance over surgery among women given a hypothetical diagnosis of CIN2.

Materials and Methods Women residing in Australia aged 25–40 years with no prior diagnosis of cervical cancer, cervical abnormality CIN2 or above, and/or previous hysterectomy, were randomised to one of four identical hypothetical scenarios of testing human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive: high-grade cytology and a diagnosis of CIN2 that used alternate terminology to describe resolution of abnormal cells and/or inclusion of an overtreatment statement. Participants selected active surveillance or surgery after viewing the scenario and free-text reason/s for their choice were thematically analysed.