Urbanization and the incidence of abnormalities of squamous and glandular epithelium of the cervix

BACKGROUND: The large data bases of the Dutch cervical screening program can be exploited to establish the relation between urbanization and the incidence of abnormalities of the squamous and glandular epithelium, including mild or greater changes of the squamous and glandular epithelium of the cervix. METHODS: Six cytology laboratories in the context of the Dutch cervical screening program screened over 190,000 cervical smears. Urbanization (place of residence) data were derived from postal codes. All smears were coded with the Dutch national coding system, the Dutch national classification system KOPAC, in which squamous abnormalities are coded S4-S9, and glandular cell changes are coded G4-G9. From the scores per 1000 screened women, the relative risk (RR) of living in a large city compared with living in rural areas was calculated. To investigate a trend in incidence in relation to urbanization, the Schaafsma method was used. RESULTS: Of the smears with positive cytology, mild squamous dysplasia (S4) had the highest incidence per 1000 screened women (4.32), and the lowest incidence was found for adenocarcinoma (in situ; G7/G9; RR, 0.07). The RR for urban women ranged from 1.73 for moderate squamous dysplasia (S5) to 7.55 for adenocarcinoma (in situ; G7/G9). For smears with positive cytology for both squamous and glandular abnormalities, the Schaafsma method indicated a significant positive trend. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of squamous and glandular abnormalities are maximal in women who live in a large city, which, in The Netherlands, is where there also is a population at high risk for human papillomavirus and bacterial vaginosis.