Cervical carcinoma: prognosis in younger patients.

Retrospective analysis of 2870 patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix treated by radiotherapy from 1971 to 1978 showed that the prognosis for younger patients (defined as either under 35 or under 40) was better than that for older age groups, but young patients presented with earlier disease. When the effect of stage on prognosis was also considered the improved survival of patients under 35 was confirmed, although the result was of only borderline significance. The better survival of younger patients was particularly noticeable for stage IB disease, the corrected five year survival of those under 35 being 93% compared with 79% for those over 35. On the basis of this analysis and a review of previous reports it is concluded that age alone is a poor indicator of prognosis and should not be used as an indication for adjuvant treatment. There is no evidence in this series of an aggressive form of cervical carcinoma in younger patients during the 1970s.