Results of a colpocytologic mass screening and in-patient casework: comparison by age groups.

This paper reports the results of cervico-vaginal examinations performed on the women (7,098) resident in the municipality of Bollate (mass screening) and the women (1,416) hospitalized in the Gynecologic ward in the same period (in-patients). Age distribution, prevalence of initial and invasive forms, and prevalence according to age groups have been considered. The results are: 1) any kind of lesion is more frequent among in-patient than mass-screening subjects; 2) the prevalence of benign displasia, incipient, in situ and invasive carcinoma per age group, considered per quinquennium, shows a three-phase trend, both in mass screening and in-patient cases; 3) the time of evolution is different for cervicocarcinoma in the different age groups of incipience. Periodic checks are a useful means of precocious diagnosis of cervicocarcinoma; the frequency of checks should vary according to patient age.