[Are analyses of cytological cervix smears from young women more harmful than beneficial?].

Background: The Norwegian coordinated cervical cancer screening program invites women from 25 to 69 years of age to have a cytological smear from the cervix uteri analysed every third year. The aim of this study was to identify the volume of smears collected and to evaluate the consequences of having or not having this done for 24-year-old and younger women not included in the screening program and to compare the results with those for other age groups.

Material And Methods: Data were obtained from the following Norwegian Cancer Registry sources: the Cancer Registry for incident cases of cancer cervix uteri (1995-2004), the Cytology Registry for volume of cervical specimen collection (1992-2005) and outcome of smears (2004), the CIN-treatment database for the number of incident cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (2004) and the Cervix Histology Registry for histological outcome of cervical biopsies (2004).