Increase of cervical adenocarcinoma: a report of 520 cases of cervical carcinoma including 112 tumors with glandular elements.

A total of 520 new cases of cervical carcinoma were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, in 1976 through 1980. Of these carcinomas, 95 (18.3%) were pure adenocarcinomas and 17 (3.3%) represented adenosquamous tumors. The mean age was 58.9 years (range 23-88 years). The age distribution was similar in patients with and without malignant glandular elements and the peak incidence was in the age group 60-69 years. In patients with adenocarcinoma, stage I was overrepresented (62.1%) whereas epidermoid carcinomas were more evenly distributed among various stages. The overall 5-year survival rate was 63.1%, with the corresponding corrected rate being 69.1%. The survival rate for patients with adenocarcinoma did not differ significantly from that for patients with squamous cell tumor. It is concluded that in our population the increasing frequency of cervical adenocarcinoma has not influenced the favorable results of the 5-year study. This disease, however, deserves more attention since its etiology, pathogenesis, and biology are still largely unresolved.