Epidemiology of gynaecological and female breast neoplasms in Papua New Guinea.

The incidences of gynaecological and female breast neoplasms in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and in various other developing and developed countries for the period 1958 - 1980 are analysed and compared. In PNG gynaecological and breast carcinomas constituted 24.5 and 9% respectively of all neoplasms registered in females. The commonest gynaecological neoplasms registered were cervical carcinoma (62%) followed by carcinoma of the ovary (20.3%), carcinoma of corpus uteri (6.5%), carcinoma of the vulva (5%), choriocarcinoma (4.7%) and carcinoma of the vagina (1.2%). The mean annual incidence rates for carcinoma of the cervix was 3/100,000, for carcinoma of the ovary 1/100,000 and for carcinoma of the corpus uteri 0.32/100,000 females respectively; for carcinoma of the breast it was 1.26/100,000. The mean age of patients with these neoplasms was less than in developed countries and in most developing countries. Possible reasons for the low incidence rates are presented.