[Efficiency of cancer-preventive examinations. Problems in early detection for the physician and laboratory]

The efficiency of gynecological cancer detection and verification depends on optimal team work of different medical specialties, such as General Medicine, Gynecology, Cytopathology, Histopathology, Surgery, Radiology. Each number of the team, working incompetently in its field, lowers the efficiency of the whole group. The most important factors leading to inefficiency in gynecological cancer detection and verification are discussed. The comparison of two different sized cancer detection programs (1962-1964; 38 119 patients vs. 1968--1976: 331 355 patients) revealed that the efficiency of verification of cancer cases does not improve with the size of the program: The cancer verification rates were higher in the small program with less routine work-up material (verification rate: 80%) compared withe the big program containing mostly follow-up cases (verification rate:75%). Much more attention should be paid to the control of optimal cooperation of the medical specialties participating in a cancer detection program, since not only the size of a program but the quality of the work-up can improve the results in cancer detection.