The use of cervical cytology to identify women at risk for chlamydial infection.

Testing asymptomatic women for chlamydial infection is advocated for high-risk populations, but testing criteria in low-risk settings are less clear. To determine whether findings from Papanicolaou (Pap) smears could identify women at risk for Chlamydia, we studied 512 women, 18 to 50 years of age, seeking routine gynecologic care. The prevalence of positive cultures for Chlamydia was 4.7%. Three cytologic findings were independently associated with Chlamydia on logistic regression: transformed lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and squamous metaplasia. The sensitivity and the specificity of the presence of any two of these three findings were 75% and 73.6%, respectively. The prevalence of Chlamydia if two findings were present was 12.2%, nearly three times the population prevalence. Certain findings on cervical cytology may be useful as an adjunct in preventive care for chlamydial cervicitis.

Adenocarcinoma of the cervical stump.

Sixteen women with adenocarcinoma of the cervical stump were treated over a 15-year period. The median survivals of 40 months for stage IB and 17 months for stages II and III were significantly worse compared with those for patients treated for cervical adenocarcinoma of the intact uterus or squamous carcinoma of the cervical stump. The poor results were due to both local and distant failure. Implications regarding tumor radiosensitivity and adjuvant therapy in these high-risk patients are discussed.

Adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix: prognostic factors and patterns of recurrence.

Survival data, prognostic factors, and patterns of recurrence were analyzed for 70 women with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix treated between 1968 and 1982. The 5-year survival rates for stages I, II, and III-IV were 82, 90, and 38%, respectively. Control of pelvic tumor was achieved in 82, 80, and 12.5% of cases of stage I, II, and III-IV disease, respectively. When radiation therapy techniques alone were employed, pelvic control was achieved in 100% of stage I and 75% of stage II cases. Tumor grade was an important prognostic factor in stage I disease, with 92% of patients with grade 1 and 2 lesions surviving 5 years, in contrast to 68% of patients with grade 3 lesions (P less than 0.05, log rank test).

The size of breast masses at presentation. The impact of prior medical training.

Five hundred and sixty-nine patients with breast cancer presenting for treatment at a community hospital were studied. The results showed no significant change in tumor size at presentation or reported patient delay over a 12-year span. This was in spite of considerable national discussion and increasing public concern about this disease during this period. We compared this patient group with a group of 27 cancer patients with training in health professional fields: seven of these 27 women reported delays of more than six months between discovery of a mass and reporting to a physician. Their masses were somewhat larger than those of women not medically trained (3.82 versus 3.47 cm). These results suggest a need for re-evaluation of the impact of medical education on an individual's reaction to personal health care.