Comparative Assessment of Age and parity as risk factors of Cervical Cancer in Rural women population of Lucknow, India

Background- Age and parity of the participating women have been normally considered as major risk factors of carcinoma cervix in a screening program. Objective- Comparative assessment has been made of these two factors in 2949 rural women. to see which of these two play effective role in cervical carcinogenesis or cumulative effect of both has greater impact.   Methods – The 2949 women were derived from the ongoing Rural cervical cancer screening program carried out in the villages of west Lucknow by organizing camps. The squamous   intraepithelial lesions of cervix (SIL) incidence have been analyzed in different age groups with increasing parity and vice-versa.   Results- The findings revealed no relation between SIL incidence and increasing age but a correlation with increasing parity. The SIL incidence in the different age groups with increasing parity revealed two trends- adolescents and postmenopausal women showing high SIL rate with nulliparity which declined with increasing parity while the  adult girls and women (21-40 years) showed SIL incidence rising  with increasing parity. When the SIL incidence was analyzed in different parity groups with increasing age, the rise in SIL incidence was seen with increasing parity in adult women between 21-40 years.   Conclusion- Though the comparative study showed increasing parity playing dominant role in the SIL development but the SIL rate was also found higher with nulliparity in adolescents and postmenopausal women. Hence all rural women showing primary infertility have to be cytologically examined and   treated. Further cytology is mandatory in all multiparous women between 21-40 years of age.   Key words- Increasing age and parity, Squamous Intraepithelial lesions of cervix Nulliparity, Adolescents, Postmenopausal women