Carcinoma of the cervix among women in their twenties. A 14% prevalence deserves our respect!

The purpose of this study was to estimate the value of routine vaginal cytology in women under 30 years of age. Over a five-year period, 18,160 vaginal cytological examinations were made on women aged 20 through 29 years, and 424 women (2.3%) were found to have Papanicolaou smears class III, IV, or V. Of these 424 patients, 122 (28.8%) were found to have carcinoma of the cervix. A tissue diagnosis of intraepithelial carcinoma was obtained in 103 women. The remaining 19 patients proved to have invasive carcinoma of the cervix. Approximately one third of this group of women with positive cytology failed to return for tissue diagnosis so the true prevalence of cancer was probably in the region of 40%. The findings suggest that women deserve routine vaginal cytological examinations irrespective of age.