[Epidemiology and early recognition of cervical cancer]

Probably due to intensive methods of early recognition, the incidence of uterine cervix cancer is decreasing in all industrialized countries. The efficiency of early recognition programs is well documented in literature, but these results are by far not achieved in clinical practice: for example only 30% of all women of childbearing age are reached by prophylactic medicine. There are also problems with respect to the quality assurance in cytology and colposcopy. As to etiology, certain papilloma viruses (HPV 16 and 18) are today a preferential object of research, but an individual risk has not yet been described exactly. This, however, would be important for the individualization of diagnostic methods, above all if they involve invasive procedures (e.g. Schiller abrasio, conization). This is also true for the treatment of early forms of uterine cervix cancer. The treatment, standardized to a large extent in former times (great surgical intervention according to Wertheim-Meigs in all cases) has now been replaced by an individualized therapy with a possibility to choose between conization, laser treatment if necessary, simple hysterectomy, and radical operation.