[Invasive cancer of the uterine cervix in young women: retrospective study of 236 cases].

The study of cases treated between 1970 and 1984 at the Institut Curie, in women aged 40 years and under, was undertaken in order to determine the influence of age on prognosis. The incidence of these cases was stable throughout the 15 years study period as was the very high incidence of earlier cases: 84.5%. Earlier cases were treated with combined radiotherapy and surgery and advanced cases with radiotherapy alone. Overall survival rate was 75% at 5 years, 60% at 10 and 15 years: but 85% for the 36-40 years of age group, 74% for the 30-35 years of age group and 67% for women aged 29 and less. Five year survival rate for operated cases is the same for the 36-40 age group as for all age patients, according to the lymph node status. In contrast, it was 85% in the N-younger group, and 30% for those patients with lymph node involvement. In conclusion, from our study it appears that the overall survival rate for women of 36 years and less, and mainly 29 years and less, is significantly lower than that for older women, and that their prognosis is especially poor in the case of lymph node involvement.