Mass screening for cervical cancer in Taiwan from 1974 to 1984

The cervical cancer screening program in Taiwan was carried out in two phases. This study focused on the first 10-year screening program. Univariate descriptive analysis with chi-square test and multivariate analysis with logistic regression were applied to find the significant risk factors related to cervical cancer in Taiwan. Comparison of Phase I and II screening revealed a cohort effect. The high examination rate in women aged 30 to 39 years in Phase I resulted in a drop in the suspicious rate in the 35 to 44 year age group in Phase II, and a decreasing trend of age-specific death rates from both cervical and uterine cancer in the 40 to 49 year age group based on all of the female population in Taiwan. In Phase II, an increasing trend in ratio of carcinoma in situ to invasive carcinoma was also found. These findings suggest that the 10-year screening program in Taiwan conducted by the Cancer Society of the Republic of China has been effective. How to increase the examination rate is the key issue in the control of cervical cancer in Taiwan.