RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The goal of the present work is to carry out a descriptive study about the impact of invasive cervical cancer in the area of Gerona, Spain. METHODS: Using data from the population based cancer registry of Gerona for the period 1980-89, several incidence rates were calculated. Incidence trends, demographical distribution and survival according of different variables were analyzed. RESULTS: The average age in which the disease appears was 57 +/- 14 years; the most frequent histological type was the squamous cell carcinoma; 51% of the cases were women born in Cataluña and the remaining percentage corresponds to women from others regions and foreigners. At the moment of diagnosis, el 36% of the cases were local, 34% were regional and 23% disseminated. Crude, standardized and truncated (35-64 years) incidence rates, during 1980 to 1989 were de 8.2, 6.2 and 13.7 cases x 105 women respectively. According to the cumulative rate, 1 in 150 women will have this cancer by age 74. No increase of the trend has been found, however, a significative subincidence has been observed in rural areas. 5-years survival rates is 48.5% and was significantly associated with stage at diagnosis, but age was not. CONCLUSION: From an international viewpoint, Gerona is a low incident area for this tumour and no rising trend has been found. The subincidence in rural areas may suggest a different exposition to risk factors, although certain aspects such as accessibility to health care services, the defining of rural and urban areas and the existence of migrations should be considered. Finally, the lower survival rate with regard to other countries could be attributed to the presence of more advanced stages, which emphasizes the importance that the early diagnosis of this tumour has.