Risk Factors for Cancer Cervix among Rural Women of a Hilly State: A Case-Control Study.

ABSTRACT

In Himachal Pradesh, cancer cervix is a major public health problem since it ranks as the number one female cancer. A case-control study of 226 newly diagnosed, histopathologically confi rmed cases of cancer cervix and equal number of matched controls was conducted at Regional Cancer Center, Himachal Pradesh during the period from July 2008 to October 2009 with the objective to study the common factors associated with cancer cervix. Univariate analysis identifi ed 10 risk factors associated signifi cantly with the disease. On multiple logistic regression, however, only seven risk factors were found to be associated signifi cantly with the disease. These were Age at birth of fi rst child, spacing between two children, age at marriage, literacy, socioeconomic status, multiparity, and poor genital hygiene. Risk factors such as poor genital hygiene, age at birth of fi rst child <19 years, early marriage, illiteracy, multiparity, and low socioeconomic status were highly prevalent in the study subjects and were found to be signifi cantly associated with cancer cervix.