Cervical cancer: trends in incidence and mortality in Singapore 1968 to 1987.

Analysis of data collected by the population-based Singapore Cancer Registry reveals that the age-standardised incidence of cervical cancer has decreased from 18.2 per 100,000 females in 1968-72 to 16.2 per 100,000 in 1983-87, and its ranking among the most common female cancers has fallen from second to fourth place behind cancers of the breast, colon/rectum and lung. Mortality from the disease has also shown a corresponding fall from 7.3 per 100,000 to 5.5 per 100,000 women over the same period. Cervical cancer incidence rates are in general highest among Indian women, intermediate in Chinese and lowest in Malays. Age-specific incidence curves over time show a marked fall in rates in women over 50 years of age, whereas younger women (35-44 years old) show a small increase. A similar increase in rates has been observed in various other countries. Internationally, Singapore's incidence rate falls between the highs of South America and parts of Asia, and the lower rates of North America and Europe. The decrease in rates is comparable with the overall global trend, but falls short of that achieved by countries with systematic cytological screening programmes.