Rising cervical cancer mortality in young New Zealand women.

New Zealand age-standardised mortality rates for cervical cancer in women 20-34, 35-64 and 65 years and older show that mortality has been falling steadily for women 35 years and older ever since 1941, 14 years before cytology screening was introduced. Mortality has risen significantly since about 1959 in women 20-34 years old. These findings cast doubt on the value of screening. Possible causes of the increased mortality in young women include a cohort effect, increased promiscuity, and the effect of steroidal compounds on cervical epithelium.