Are Israeli women in a low risk group for developing squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Objective. Invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma is not a common disease among Jewish women. In the present study an attempt was made to find what is the distribution of the known risk factors in this population.Methods. Three hundred and ninety-one patients with various cervical cytological abnormalities comprised the study group. They were compared to 350 Israeli women with negative cytology. The risk factors were extracted from an anonymous questionnaire. The results were statistically analyzed and compared to the equivalent figures published in the literature pertaining to non-Jewish women.Results. The prevalence of abnormal cytology among the Israeli women was almost the same as that of the non-Jewish group: 24/1000 and 26/1000, respectively. Significant statistical differences were found between the following risk factors: number of sexual partners, age at first intercourse, age at first pregnancy. Women in the study group were younger when they became sexually active and at first pregnancy, the...