[Analysis of 4223 hospitalized patients with cervical cancer during 1990-2007]

To analyze the changes in epidemiology and treatment of hospitalized patients with cervical cancer during 1990-2007.

Overall, 4648 patients with cervical cancer were diagnosed in our hospital from Jan 1990 to Nov 2007, but only 4223 patients with initial treatment in our hospital were studied retrospectively. Pearson Chi-square test was used to compare the age, stage, histopathologic type and treatment methods between different times.

(1) The mean age of cervical cancer patients gradually decreased over the past 18 years, from 54.4 years during 1990-1999 to 47.2 years during 2000-2007; the proportion of young patients aged < or = 35 years increased from 4.77% (89/1865) during 1990-1999 to 11.75% (277/2358) during 2000-2007. (2) The proportion of patients with cervical cancer (stage I a-II a) increased from 14. 32% (267/1865) during 1990-1999 to 40.75% (961/2358) during 2000-2007, whereas the proportion of patients with cervical cancer (stage II b-IV) decreased from 85.68% (1598/1865) during 1990-1999 to 59.25% (1397/2358) during 2000-2007. (3) There was no significant change in histopathologic type of cervical cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma of cervix remained the main type of cervical cancer. (4) The treatment pattern of cervical cancer changed significantly: radiotherapy was the main method (75.28%) for cervical cancer during 1990-1999, but during 2000-2007, it was replaced by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (35.79%).

The proportion of young women with cervical cancer was increased during 1990-2007, and at the same period early stage cervical cancer increased, but late stage cervical cancer decreased. It is obvious that chemotherapy has become the important therapy in cervical cancer.