50 women aged up to 35 years were diagnosed as having carcinoma of the cervix in Brighton, England between 1980 and 1985. The overall 5-year actuarial survival was 65% and 73% for stage IB. The 5-year survival for those aged 29 years or less was significantly worse than for those aged between 30 and 35 years, 39% versus 80%. There was a higher incidence of advanced stage and high-grade tumours in the younger women. It is suggested that the natural history of the tumour in women under 30 years is shorter than that in older women, and this is likely to be associated with high-grade, rapidly advancing carcinomas of poor prognosis.