MedWire News: Cervical cancer prevention strategies need to be tailored to reflect differences in lifestyles, say researchers who found risk factors for the disease vary significantly from country to country.

The researchers conducted studies in Colombia, USA, and Venezuela and found that the level of risk for cervical cancer differs among the three countries. For instance, among Venezuelan women, having more than two active sexual partners is a significant risk factor for cervical cancer, but it does not increase the risk for Colombian or US women, the authors note.

Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for women living in the US, but has a negligible effect on the risk of their Venezuelan counterparts. Also, Columbian women exposed to wood smoke were seven times as likely as other women to develop cervical cancer, whereas it had no effect in US or Venezuelan women.

These variations may be dependent upon the genetic make-up of different ethnic populations, and their impact might be influenced by exposure to other risk factors, the researchers note.

“Specific cervical cancer prevention protocols that involve life-style modifications to minimize the impact of environmental risk factors should be developed,” remark William Au (The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston) and co-workers.

Journal abstract