Prevalence of carcinoma in situ and squamous dysplasis of the uterine cervix in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Historical risk factors of etiologic significance were evaluated in a seroepidemiological prosepective study of carcinoma in situ and squamous dysphasia of the uterine cervix among Saudi women in Riyadh. A total of 2, 476 women were screened with Papanicolaou smears, and blood samples and cervical swabs were taken serological study and tissue culture. The results of this investigation show that, although population-based incidence data for Saudi women are generally lacking, the rates of carcinoma in situ and squamous dysphasia of the uterine cervix are very low among Saudi. The related data indicate that in spite of their relatively low mean age first marriage, at onset of coitus, and at first pregnancy, and an exceptionally high pregnancy rate, the overwhelming majority of screened women had normal cytology [97.6%], while atypical squamous cells were detected in only 2.4% of the sample. Herpesvirus was isolated in 0.5% of the sample, while all these had normal cytology. The findings of this study are consistent with the results of other similar studies on the population-based data for low-risk groups; the very low rate of cervical malignancies may be ascribed to religious teaching which strongly discourages extramarital relationships, and which also results in low rates of illegitimacy and venereal disease