Evaluation of carcinoma of the uterine cervix before radiotherapy

In 1974 the Patterns of Care Study began a prospective nationwide survey of radiotherapeutic cancer care in the United States. Cancer of the uterine cervix was one of the diseases surveyed. Pretreatment evaluation data were collected from 170 randomly chosen radiation therapy facilities. The frequency of use of tests in workup varied substantially according, for example, to the severity of disease and the availability of tests. For carcinoma of the uterine cervix, we found that the following tests were used routinely: physical examination, including taking a history; complete blood cell count; serum chemistry analysis; chest roentgenogram; and intravenous pyelogram. Frequent but not routine tests included dilation and curettage and evaluation of the involvement of the bladder and rectum. Other test were used infrequently.