[Effectiveness of the legal neoplasm prevention program in a cytological laboratory]

The test results of preventive gynecological examinations as assessed by a medium-sized cytological laboratory over a 5-year-period are reported. It is differentiated between the results found at first screening and at re-screening. Of the 34,121 women screened for the first time. 0.32% suffered from invasive cervical carcinoma or carcinoma of the corpus uteri and 0.41% from carcinoma in situ, whereas only 0.031% of the 192,089 re-screened women had invasive carcinoma and only 0.064% had carcinoma in situ. Thus the incidence of positive cases was 10 times higher with first check-ups as compared to annual follow-up screening. A retrospective inquiry with the participating physicians revealed among 116,020 cases 177 additional carcinomas ( = 0.15%), i.e. 122 breast cancers, 28 carcinomas of rectum or colon (5 primarily discovered by Haemoccult test) and 27 tumors of the skin, kidney or ovary. These results suggest the effectivity and neccessity of the Cancer Early Detection Program.