[Cohort analysis of cervical cancer mortality in Austria]

Cytological screening has reduced mortality of cervical cancer in Austria. It has cut mortality of carcinoma of the uterus by one third from 1966 to 1982. In causes of deaths screening has mainly reduced mortality from cancer of other and unspecified parts of uterus. A new nomenclature introduced in 1969 has strengthened the decreasing trend with regard to cancer of other and unspecified parts of uterus and has compensated the screening effect in mortality from cervical carcinoma (the decreasing trend was preceded by an increase). This shift of cervix cancer deaths cases from the position mortality from cancer of other and unspecified parts of uterus to mortality from cervical cancer is the reason that the latter does not reflect the real trend of cervical cancer mortality. The analysis of cervical cancer by birth cohort and age at death (1966-1981) show the effect of screening in the younger births cohorts of age groups 40-44, 45-49 and 50-54 and in older ages of cohorts born in 1927-1932, 1932-1936 and 1937-1941 respectively.