Carcinoma of the uterine cervix and schistosomiasis.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of carcinoma of the uterine cervix and its relationship to schistosomiasis infection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a 10-year period (1980-1990) at the department of histopathology (cancer registry) of the University of Dar es Salaam using statistical evaluation of the proportional rate of histomorphological diagnosis, clinical symptoms and epidemiological aspects. RESULTS: There were 4520 cases classified as cervical carcinoma. Unexpectedly, only 76 of these (1.7%) revealed an association with schistosomiasis. Precancerous lesions of the squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix were a relatively common feature in carcinoma of both groups. Furthermore, epidemiological analysis indicates that the occurrence of cancer and schistosomiasis infection of the cervix is not strictly confined to the population of rural regions, known as endemic areas, with low hygienic and socioeconomic standards. This fact is most probably due to the rural people moving into urban areas, hoping to improve their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not support the assumption of an etiologic role of schistosomiasis in the oncogenesis of cervical carcinoma.