Stage and histology of cervical cancer in women under 25 years old

To evaluate the histological and stage characteristics of cervical cancer in women under 25 years old, and to compare them with older women.

Cross-sectional study of cases from the Hospital Cancer Registry of São Paulo State/Brazil from 2000 to 2015. Variables were age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and histological type. Prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

Out of 18,423 cervical cancer cases 204 (1.1%) were in women under 25 years old. The most frequent stage was stage I in women under 25 (36.2%) and between 25 and 34 (43.4%), and stage III in older women (31.8%). No statistically significant difference was observed in stages by age group. Squamous carcinomas were the most frequent in 73.5% of women under 25 and 78.5% of older women. In women under 25 the following histological types were more frequent: neuroendocrine carcinomas (PR=6.10, 95% CI=2.03-18.35), malignant germ cell tumors (PR=54.98, 95% CI=26.53-113.95), mesenchymal tumors (sarcomas) (PR=5.67, 95% CI=2.58-12.45) and hematopoietic/lymphoid tumors (PR=0.72, 95% CI=2.90-36.69).

In women under 25 years old cervical cancer was an uncommon diagnosis and in about one third occurred at early stage. Squamous carcinoma was the most frequent histological type regardless age, but rare histological types were more frequent in young women.