The role of the obstetrician in the prevention of cervical cancer.

FOR the past ten years there has been an increasing interest in the concept that invasive carcinoma of the cervix is preceded by an in situ stage that has all the morphologic properties of cancer except invasion of the stroma. Furthermore, there is evidence that carcinoma in situ does not arise de novo, but is preceded by recognizable cytologic and morphologic changes variously described as epithelial anaplasia, dysplasia, atypia or equivocal lesions.1 2 3 4 The immense importance of this concept lies in the implication that if these changes are progressive then their eradication constitutes a method of prevention of frank invasive cancer. . . .