Epidemiology of adenocarcinoma of the cervix

Three hundred thirty-three patients who presented with cervical carcinoma from November 1980 through June 1985 were compared for potential factors associated with histology. Sixteen percent of all patients presenting with cervical carcinoma during this 5-year period had an adenocarcinomatous histology. Emphasis was placed on demographic and socio-economic factors. The histologic distribution was the following: epidermoid carcinoma 279, adenocarcinoma 28, and adenoepidermoid carcinoma 26. The latter two histologies were not different for any factors and therefore combined for statistical comparison with epidermoid carcinoma. When epidermoid (E) carcinoma of the cervix was compared with the histologies having an adenocarcinomatous component (A), the following demographic and socioeconomic factors were statistically, different (P < 0.05): Unemployment (E 69% vs. A 46%) P < 0.002; Income < $6000/yr (E 48% vs. A 26%) P < 0.005; Less than a 12th-grade education (E 85% vs. A 72%) P < 0.05; Smokers (E 67% vs. A 40%) P < 0.001; First coital experience < 18 years (E 58% vs. A 39%) P < 0.05. Age, parity, and number of sexual partners were not significantly different between the epidermoid and adenocarcinoma groups. The number of patients with stages II, III, and IV was too small to provide a meaningful statistical comparison of survival for the two histologies. Our data suggest that epidermoid and adenocarcinoma of the cervix may represent diseases with distinct populations at risk.