Condylomatous epithelial changes in the uterine cervix and their relationship to cervical carcinogenesis.

Abstract

Two hundred twenty-six (226) women with histologically verified dysplastic or neoplastic epithelial lesions in the uterine cervix were assessed for the presence (CO-series) or absence (N-CO-series) of the three newly established types of condylomatous lesions. Both the CO-series and the N-CO-series comprised 113 patients. Histologic changes fulfilling the previously outlined criteria of the (a) flat, (b) inverted and (c) papillomatous condylomas were found in association with all degrees of epithelial atypia, from mild dysplasia to frankly invasive carcinoma. The flat type was most common, comprising 69% of all condylomas. The inverted and papillomatous types were relatively rare, with frequencies of 18.6% and 12.4%, respectively. The mean age of the patients in the CO-series was 30.9 years, that of the N-CO-series patients was 39.3 years (p less than 0.0001). The causal relationship between the cervical condylomas and cervical carcinoma is discussed. The conclusion is drawn that this possibility needs to be seriously considered when searching for a venereally transmitted agent as an etiologic factor of cervical carcinoma.