Cigarette smoking and dysplasia and carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix
E. Trevathan, P. Layde, L. A. Webster, J. B. Adams, B. B. Benigno and H. Ory
We conducted a case-control study of cigarette smoking and dysplasia and
carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix. Cases were black women 17 to 55
years of age who were attending a dysplasia clinic and had biopsy-confirmed
cervical pathologic conditions. Controls were women who were attending the
family planning clinic at the same hospital and who had at least two normal
Papanicolaou smears. Results were adjusted for age, number of sexual
partners, age at first intercourse, socioeconomic status, and oral
contraceptive use. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with
carcinoma in situ, severe dysplasia, and mild-moderate dysplasia (relative
risks, 3.6, 3.3, and 2.4, respectively). Cumulative exposure to cigarette
smoking (as measured by pack-years smoked) was strongly related to the risk
of these conditions; women with 12 or more pack-years of exposure had
relative risks of 12.7, 10.2, and 4.3, respectively, for the three
conditions. There was some evidence that the risk was greatest in women who
began smoking in their early teenage years. A reduction in the risk of
cervical cancer appears to be another inducement for young women not to
smoke.
