Introduction and objective: Cervical squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies of women. Its incidence and morphology was analyzed based on the magnetic resonance (MR) data among rural and urban residents.
Material and methods: The study involved 61 Caucasian women (58.26±9.63 years) preliminary diagnosed with a cervical cancer without any previous treatment. Standard MR examination, including diffusion weighted imagining, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value measurement and dynamic contrast enhancement, was performed.
Results: The rural residents (n=22) were insignificantly older. Their first and last menstruation were observed later and number of pregnancy was higher than in urban women (n=39). However, the incidence of miscarriage was insignificantly rarer. All the tumour linear diameters as well as its volume were insignificantly higher in rural women. The ADC value of the cervical tumor was insignificantly lower, while ADC of lymphatic nodules was higher in rural women. Insignificant changes in tumour grade between both examined groups were found in histological, clinical and radiological examinations. Place of residence did not influence any clinical symptoms nor tumour volume and its ADC. Colporrhoea and colpodynia were insignificantly more often observed in urban women, while parametrium, urinary bladder and rectal infiltrations were more commonly seen in rural residents. Higher risk of lymphatic spread to the internal iliac and parametral lymphatic nodes was reporte[b]d in the rural community.
Conclusions: Cervical cancer had similar morphology and growth pattern, regardless of the place of residence. However, a insignificantly larger tumour size among rural residents may suggest a higher incidence of lymphatic spread, probably as a result of less aaccess to modern health care.
Keywords: cervical cancer; magnetic resonance; oncology; rural-urban differences.