Carcinoma of the uterine cervix: a three-year study - abstract

ABSTRACT

This was retrospective hospital-based study of all cases of carcinoma of the cervix seen at the Public Hospital, Georgetown, Guyana from June, 1983 to May, 1986 to obtain data on the epidemiology of cervical cancer in Guyanese women. The Public Hospital is the principal referral centre for histopathological diagnosis and radiotherapy in Guyana. Information on age, parity, ethnicity, place of residence, histopathology and clinical staging was collected. There were 202 women with cervical cancer which was confirmed by biopsy in 193 (95.5 percent). The highest incidence (33.3 percent) occurred in the 46-55 year age group, 11 percent were below 35 years of age and 89 percent were above 35. Most cases occurred in women of East Indian descent (63 percent), and in women living in rural areas (69 percent). The incidence increased with increasing parity with a peak incidence in women with parity of 8. Squamous cell carcinoma was the commonest type (88 percent) and all patients with adenocarcinoma (6.2 percent) were over 38 years of age. These results indicate that screening programmes in Guyana should be re-directed to women aged 36-45 years living in rural areas (AU)