Risk Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer: A Matched Case-control Study

Abstract

One of the most effective ways to prevent cervical cancer is to identify the risk factors for the disease. The purpose of this research was to determine the risk factors for cervical cancer in women in Iran. This was a matched case-control study. 105 participants (35 patients with cervical cancer and 70 healthy women) were selected from the registered patients and women attending a women’s specialized hospital in Hamadan, Iran. One case was matched to 2 controls by age (±3 years). Demographic and clinical data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Conditional multivariate logistic regression model and STATA 11 software were used for data analysis. The mean age of women in the case and control group were 58.02(12.32) and 58.11(12.25) years (P = 0.486), respectively. Patients had lower education levels (P = 0.037), lower economic status (P˂0.001), and lower spouse education levels (P = 0.009). The results showed OCP users were 8.79 times more likely to develop cervical cancer than women who do not use OCP (P = 0.007), and the probability of cervical cancer in women increased by 8.33 times (<0.001) with decreasing each level of socio-economic status. The results of the present study showed low economic status, and a history of using oral contraceptive pills are risk factors for cervical cancer.