[Examination for the prevention of gynecologic cancer in young women: when should cancer prevention begin?].

: Since the Swiss Gynecological Society suggests that cervical smears be taken only from patients age 25 years or over, we have investigated the validity of an age limitation. Analyzing the patients at our dysplasia clinic, the following statistics emerged: of the 4255 patients in the period 1970-1980, 897 or 21.08% were under 25 years of age; 190 or 4.46% were under 20. Of these women, 153 had or developed (cytologically at least) serious dysplasia or carcinoma in situ. On the basis of the data presented and the literature we are obliged to concluded that an age limit is not medically meaningful and that every sexually active woman, regardless of age, should be accepted into the preventive examination program.