Dataset for the risk of cervical cancer and high grade lesions among vulnerable women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cervical cancer is largely preventable, yet causes around 300,000 deaths annually, disproportionately affecting vulnerable women. We aimed to estimate the risk of high-grade cervical lesions and cervical cancer among vulnerable populations in high- and upper-middle-income countries. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published up to February 2024 (from 2004 for HIV) across four databases. We included women with low socioeconomic status, migrants, prisoners, sex workers, women with substance use disorders, mental illness, and living with HIV. The primary outcome was the pooled risk of cervical cancer and high-grade lesions; the secondary outcome was subgroup-specific risk. The analysis focused on the female sex, defined biologically. Sex was determined according to author reporting and not self-reported. In this work, based on 127 studies, we show that vulnerable women face higher risks of cervical cancer (RR 2.78; 95%CI 2.32–3.32) and high-grade lesions (RR 2.5; 95%CI 2.05–3.04), supporting equity-focused prevention strategies.