Rapidly progressive cervical cancer: is it a real problem?

The appearance, in younger women, of a rapidly progressive form of cervical carcinoma has been suggested. This, together with evident deficiencies in the provision and technique of screening services, has been taken to indicate a need for more frequent screening. We show that a substantial increase in the observed number of such rapidly progressive cancers would be expected simply on the basis of changes in population structure, a general increase in cervical cancer rates and increases in the proportion of women screened.