Carcinoma of the uterine cervix and dysplasia in Greenland.

A preliminary study, based on officially recorded cases of cervical carcinoma, dysplasia and carcinoma in situ in Greenlandic women over the period 1955-1975 revealed a total of 117 cases of carcinoma and 119 cases of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. The incidence of invasive carcinoma, age-adjusted to "European standard population" (Doll 1976), exhibited a rise from 20.9 per 100,000 in 1955-1959 to 84.8 in 1970-1975. The latter incidence rate is one of the highest in the world, and about 2.5 times as high as the most recently recorded incidence in Denmark. Age-specific incidence rates for cervical carcinoma in Greenland for 1970-1975 showed significantly higher values in the age groups 15-49 and 60-64 years as compared with the most recent Danish rates. The crude incidence of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ per 100,000 women over 15 years of age rose from 10.5 for 1955-1959 to 137.5 for 1970-1975. The corresponding incidence for severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ was 93.7 for 1970-1975. There has most likely been a more complete registration of these initial stages during recent years, although organized detection work has not been initiated.