Finding for Uterine Cancer From One or More Cytologic Examinations of 33,750 Women

Abstract

Results for cervical cancer are reported from the cytologic examination of 33,750 women. Of these women 9,837 had a second examination, 4,244 a third, 1,662 a fourth, and 450 had from 5 to 10 periodic examinations. These findings and those from 3 other studies that provided age-specific prevalence rates for carcinoma in situ and invasive cervical cancer are compared. The age-specific prevalence rates for carcinoma in situ in all studies hit a peak somewhere in the 30 to 49-year-age range; are depressed somewhere in the 40 to 59-year-age range; and then rise again for older women. The possible meaning of the middle-aged depression of these rates regarding spontaneous regression of carcinomas in situ is discussed. In the periodic examination of women previously cytologically negative, those with class 2 cytology have about 10 times the potentiality in the next year for carcinoma in situ compared to those previously of class 1. There appears to be an extensive annual turnover of those cytologically of class 2 back to class 1, and replacement by women moving from class 1 to class 2 cytology. The cancer probability for other positive cytology classes is presented. The pattern of age-specific prevalence rates suggests that carcinoma in situ has a longer duration on the average when arising in younger women than in older women. The rates for the invasive stage do not suggest this for the invasive stage of the disease.