Cervical cancer

This conference concerns economic, psychosocial, preventive, and medical aspects of the care of an indigent, unemployed, 22-year-old mother of three who died of an invasive, large cell, nonkeratinizing cervical cancer 35 months after her last Pap smear, 19 months after the onset of vaginal discharge, 12 months after consulting a physician, 10 months after an exploratory laparotomy, nine months after initiation of radiation therapy, five months after performance of a colostomy, four months after initiation of chemotherapy, and three months after treatment of small bowel obstruction with hyperalimentation and resection. We discuss the cost effectiveness of preventive programs.