Cancer of the uterine cervix and social conditions.

Abstract

This paper examined some social factors which might be responsible for the class gradient shown by cervical cancer death rates at ages before 65. In the 3 years 1950-1952 there were 2257 deaths attributed to cancer of the cervix among residents in the 48 county broughs of England and Wales having more than 100000 population. Women who had married before age 20 showed an excess of cases. The rate for single women was much less and was also less than the rate for childless married women. Those who had had many pregnancies showed high rates of cancer only if they had married after age 25. Seaport and textile towns had high rates of cervical cancer. Environmental conditions are believed to be factors in these areas. Rates were highest among wives of unskilled workers. Environmental influences seemed important particularly in textile towns were many women work in the mills. (In his work on skin cancers Henry in 1950 found that of 3530 persons affected between 1920-1949 1490 worked in textile occupations). The risk of cervical cancer seems to be associated with the total amount of sexual intercourse. Others have shown that this need not be the case if marital hygiene is meticulously observed as by certain racial and religious groups. Environmental factors may also be important.