Masaaki Watanabe

Mass population screening for cervical cancer in Miyagi Prefecture

Abstract Mass population screening for cervical cancer was performed on 647,999 individuals in Miyagi Prefecture from January 1962 until March 1977. Invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix was discovered in 1076 women, carcinoma in situ in 1066, and a high degree of dysplasia in 2637. The Cytology Activity Index of the examined women 30 years or older in 1965, 1970, and 1975 was 60.0, 116.7, and 193.2, respectively. The prevalence rate (per 10 5 ) of invasive carcinoma in the individuals of the population screening was 136.7 in 1971 and 71.5 in 1975, whereas the prevalence rate of carcinoma in situ was 136.0 and 99.9. The yearly incidence rate (per 10 5 ) of invasive cancer of the uterine cervix in Miyagi Prefecture for the 4 years from 1969 until 1972 was 32.9. The standardized death rate (per 10 5 ) from malignant neoplasms of the uterus has been roughly at the 5.0 level since 1972.

Variation of serum prolactin-releasing activity in women with the galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome after bromocriptine treatment

Serum methanol extracts were obtained from nine women with the galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome, 24 pregnant women in the third trimester, and 18 normal men and women. The serum extract released prolactin (PRL) in significant amounts from rat anterior pituitary in vitro. The extracts from patients with galactorrhea-amenorrhea released PRL in large quantities. A significant positive correlation was observed between the PRL-releasing activity and serum PRL levels in individual samples from the pregnant women and normal subjects but not from the patients with galactorrhea-amenorrhea. Bromocriptine therapy suppressed serum PRL levels of five patients without tumors but increased the PRL-releasing activity in three out of five patients after treatment for 1 or 2 months. Apparently hypothalamic regulation of PRL secretion was disrupted in these three patients after bromocriptine therapy.

Primary carcinoma in situ of the vagina

Primary carcinoma in situ of the vagina is very rare in Japan. The patient is 57 years old and its found in screening of cervical cancer. Carcinoma in situ was located in the upper and posterior wall of the vagina. No cancer was seen in the cervix and vulva. The patient had extenden hysterectomy. It is necessary to emphasize the need for inspection of the vaginal wall and vaginal smear at the screening of cervical cancer.

A subclassification of cervical dysplasia according to the cytoplasmic differentiation

Sixty-four cases of dysplasia, high degree, of cervical epithelium were histologically classified into immature, premature and mature dysplasia according to their cytoplasmic maturation.Cytologic samples of the same cases were also classified into metaplastic, nonkeratinizing and keratinizing dysplastic cell type by the description of Dr. S. F. Patten.No keratinizing dysplastic cells were found in the immature dysplasia classified histologically.Metaplastic dysplastic cells were scarcely included in the mature dysplasia.The samples classed to the premature dysplasia had various cell types.