Cervical cytology histories of 100 women with invasive carcinoma of the cervix.

We reviewed the cytological histories of 100 women diagnosed as having invasive carcinoma of the cervix in Western Australia in 1977-80. Sixty-one women had never had a cervical smear test before the diagnosis of cancer. Among the remaining 39 patients, nine had one or more dyskaryotic cervical smears taken, up to eight years before the diagnosis of invasive cancer was made. Another patient had two smears, suspicious of malignancy, taken 15 years before diagnosis. Wider use of colposcopy and selective biopsy in the management of patients with abnormal smear test results is recommended.