Cytologic Features of Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion in ThinPrep Papanicolaou Test Slides and Conventional Smears: Comparison of Cases That Performed Poorly With Those That Performed Well in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology

2005 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Renshaw ◽  
Barbara Dubray-Benstein ◽  
Jennifer Haja ◽  
Jonathan H. Hughes

Abstract Context.—Both conventional and ThinPrep Papanicolaou smears with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions that are frequently missed are known to have relatively few abnormal cells. Whether this is also true of cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion is not known. Objective.—To compare the cytologic features of cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that perform poorly with the features of cases that perform well. Design.—The cytologic features of 10 ThinPrep Pap Test and conventional smear cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that performed poorly in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program were compared with 46 ThinPrep Pap Test and conventional smear cases that performed extremely well. The numbers of abnormal cells were categorized into less than 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 250, 251 to 500, and more than 500. Results.—The median number of abnormal cells for cases that performed poorly was less than 50, whereas the median number of abnormal cells for cases that performed well was between 101 and 250. Overall, cases that performed poorly were significantly more likely to have less than 50, less than 100, and less than 250 abnormal cells than cases that performed well (P < .001, P < .001, and P = .009, respectively). A minority of cases performed well even with very few abnormal cells and groups. The same findings were present when conventional smears and ThinPrep specimens were analyzed separately. Conclusions.—ThinPrep Pap Test cases and conventional smears with a diagnosis of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion that perform poorly in this program have significantly fewer abnormal cells than those that perform well. The median number of abnormal cells in cases that performed well is lower than that of comparable high-grade cases in the program.

2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (7) ◽  
pp. 746-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Renshaw ◽  
Michael A. Schulte ◽  
Elizabeth Plott ◽  
Barbara Dubray-Benstein ◽  
Camilla J. Cobb ◽  
...  

Abstract Context.—Conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) test slides of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) that are frequently misdiagnosed are known to have relatively few dysplastic cells. Whether this is true of cases of HSIL in ThinPrep Pap Test specimens is not known. Objective.—To determine if cases of HSIL in ThinPrep specimens that are frequently missed have relatively few dysplastic cells. Design.—The cytologic features of 16 ThinPrep cases of HSIL that performed poorly in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program were compared with 22 ThinPrep Pap Test cases that performed extremely well. Results.—Significantly more cases that performed poorly had fewer than 250 dysplastic cells (13/16) than cases that performed well (3/22) (P < .001). Conclusion.—ThinPrep Pap Test cases with a diagnosis of HSIL that performed poorly in this program had significantly fewer dysplastic cells than those that performed well.


2012 ◽  
Vol 137 (7) ◽  
pp. 936-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly A. Khan ◽  
Debora A. Smith ◽  
Michael J. Thrall

Context.—Previous work has reported that most high-grade cervical neoplasia is seen in patients with preceding Papanicolaou test results of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. This information was based on conventional test results and the Bethesda 1991 reporting system and was determined before the current treatment guidelines. Objective.—Our objective was to perform a retrospective review of all histologically confirmed, high-grade cervical neoplasia to determine the diagnosis of the preceding liquid-based Papanicolaou test. Design.—A total of 189 histologically confirmed, high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) cases grade 2 and greater were identified for a 1-year period. Results.—Of the 189 cases, 10 (5.3%) had a previous diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; 55 (29.1%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; 31 (16.4%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 21 (11.1%) had atypical squamous cells, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 68 (36%) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; 1 (0.5%) had atypical glandular cells; 1 (0.5%) had adenocarcinoma in situ; and 2 (1%) had invasive carcinoma. Combined “low grade” Papanicolaou test results (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion) preceded 51 of 103 cases of CIN 2 (49.5%) and 14 of 103 cases (13.6%) of CIN 3/cancer, whereas “high grade” Papanicolaou test results (atypical squamous cells, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, unable to rule out a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; atypical glandular cells; adenocarcinoma in situ; and invasive carcinoma) preceded 52 of 103 CIN 2 cases (50.5%) and 72 of 103 CIN 3/cancer cases (69.9%). Conclusions.—Our data show that we can now more-reliably predict high-grade dysplasia on routine Papanicolaou tests. Only a small fraction of histologically confirmed CIN 2/3 cases are found following a Papanicolaou test diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.


2008 ◽  
Vol 132 (8) ◽  
pp. 1290-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann T. Moriarty ◽  
Mary R. Schwartz ◽  
Galen Eversole ◽  
Marilee Means ◽  
Amy Clayton ◽  
...  

Abstract Context.—Oncogenic, high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing is used to evaluate women who are older than 20 years with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and in conjunction with a screening Papanicolaou test in women older than 30 years. Objectives.—To evaluate the 2006 laboratory practice data from laboratories incorporating human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with the Papanicolaou test. Design.—To use the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Supplemental Questionnaire Survey for 2006 to determine laboratory practices of participants in the CAP Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology. Results.—A total of 679 laboratories responded to the questionnaire. Most (73%) refer HPV testing to reference laboratories. Nine percent perform HPV testing in cytology. Forty-five percent offer low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) testing. The most common reflex is ASC-US, although HR-HPV is also offered with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), or any other Papanicolaou test result. Digene Hybrid Capture II is the most common method. Human papilloma virus median test volumes are 55 monthly. Frequency distributions of HPV test volumes are significantly different from those found in 2003. Laboratories performing in-house testing reported significantly higher monthly HPV volumes (P < .001). Median rates for HR-HPV positivity are 36.6% for ASC-US, 50.0% for atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H), and 4% for women 30 years of age and older in conjunction with a screening Papanicolaou test. Conclusions.—Reference HPV testing remains the most common pattern. The most common reflex indication is for ASC-US, but HPV testing is modified locally to include a variety of scenarios. LR-HPV testing is commonly offered despite its lack of clinical significance. These data form a baseline for ongoing monitoring of HPV testing practice trends.


1999 ◽  
Vol 123 (11) ◽  
pp. 1079-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry L. Woodhouse ◽  
Janet F. Stastny ◽  
Patricia E. Styer ◽  
Mary Kennedy ◽  
Amy H. Praestgaard ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective.—To determine whether, on a national cytology proficiency test, a competent cytologist can consistently distinguish grades of squamous intraepithelial lesions. Design.—Results for low- and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion referenced slides from the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology for 1996 and 1997 were analyzed including educational, nongraded vs graded validated slides. Results.—The discrepant rate between low- and high- grade lesions ranged from 9.8% to 15% for cytotechnologist, pathologist, laboratory, and all responses. There was a statistically significant difference in performance on graded, validated slides vs educational slides with better performance on validated slides. Conclusion.—This significant interobserver variability in subclassification of squamous lesions should be considered in management guidelines for abnormal Papanicolaou test results and implementation of national cytology proficiency testing.


2006 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-459
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Renshaw ◽  
Dina R. Mody ◽  
Patricia Styer ◽  
Mary Schwartz ◽  
Barbara Ducatman ◽  
...  

Abstract Context.—Previous studies have shown that in gynecologic cytology, cases of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) perform differently on interpretive review. The performance of cases with mixed LSIL and HSIL features is unknown. Objective.—To compare the performance of gynecologic cytology cases of “pure” LSIL and HSIL with cases showing mixed LSIL and HSIL features. Design.—We compiled performance data from the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytopathology from the years 2003 and 2004, and compared the performance of slides showing relatively pure LSIL and HSIL (≤10% misclassification as HSIL and LSIL, respectively) with slides showing mixed LSIL or HSIL features (cases misclassified as LSIL or HSIL >10% of the time). Results.—Interpretations from a total of 4508 cases (2452 HSIL and 2056 LSIL) were analyzed. Overall, the sensitivity of participants on slides with a reference diagnosis of HSIL was 97.3%, and of LSIL was 95.9%. Performance trends for pure versus mixed cases varied by slide type and reference diagnosis. For conventional slides, participant sensitivity on pure HSIL cases was greatest (98.0%) and on pure LSIL cases was least (95.2%), while participant performance on cases with mixed features was intermediate (97.0% for mixed HSIL and 96.7% for mixed LSIL). In contrast, participant performance on ThinPrep slides showed the greatest sensitivity for mixed LSIL slides (97.9%), while performance on mixed HSIL slides showed the lowest sensitivity (95.7%); slides with pure features had intermediate sensitivity levels (96.3% for both HSIL and LSIL). Further evaluation demonstrated that conventional pure HSIL slides performed significantly better than mixed HSIL slides (P = .006), whereas mixed LSIL slides performed better than pure LSIL slides (P = .01). For ThinPrep slides, pure HSIL cases performed similarly to mixed HSIL cases (P = .43), while mixed LSIL cases performed better than pure LSIL cases (P = .04). Conclusion.—Slides with mixed LSIL and HSIL features have measurably distinct performance characteristics in comparison to slides with pure LSIL or HSIL features. Participant performance on conventional mixed cases is distinctly different from performance on ThinPrep mixed cases.


2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 597-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Thomas Cox

This article reviews the data available as of 2004 on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cervical screening with the two available cytologic methods, the conventional Papanicolaou (Pap; CP) smear and liquid-based cytology (LBC), and discusses the application of LBC to current practice. The majority of LBC studies are on the ThinPrep Pap Test (CYTYC, Boxsborough, MA) and the remainder are on SurePath (TriPath, Burlington, NC), which was previously known as AutoCyte Prep. LBC identified more low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Pap test results compared with paired conventional cytology in 17 of 21 ThinPrep and 9 of 12 SurePath “split-sample” studies considered to fulfill the criteria for inclusion in the British NHS Health Technology Assessment (HTA) evaluation of cervical cytology. In four of the six recent ThinPrep and one of two SurePath split-sample studies, more high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion-positive (HSIL+) results were identified by LBC than by CP. All 15 “direct-to vial studies” meeting HTA criteria reported more LSIL+ results for LBC compared with CP, and all eight of the direct-to-vial studies reporting HSIL+ results separately showed increased detection of high-grade cytology interpretations. Fifteen studies met the criteria for evaluating sensitivity and specificity. Aggregate sensitivity for the CP was 71.5% and for LBC was 80.1%. Indirect comparisons of the two LBC methods did not detect a difference in sensitivity, and a meta-analysis of the six studies comparing specificity between CP and LBC found no difference. Other capabilities of LBC are improved specimen adequacy and the ability to do ancillary testing out of the liquid-based vial. In cost-effective analyses based on models of disease natural history and/or the clinical effectiveness of each screening modality, screening with CP was always dominated by screening with LBC. Primary cervical screening guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society in 2002 recommend repeating the cytology biannually if liquid-based and annually if conventional. The gain in sensitivity, apparent cost-effectiveness, and advantage of having a representative specimen for ancillary testing, support the use of LBC.


2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (11) ◽  
pp. 1224-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane D. Davey ◽  
Margaret H. Neal ◽  
David C. Wilbur ◽  
Terence J. Colgan ◽  
Patricia E. Styer ◽  
...  

Abstract Context.—The 2001 Bethesda System for the reporting of cervical cytology specimens and the use of new liquid-based and human papillomavirus testing technologies have led to changes in cervical cytology reporting practices. Objectives.—To analyze current laboratory reporting practices using Bethesda 2001 terminology and to compare results with previous survey data from 1996. Design.—Questionnaire survey mailed to 1751 laboratories in mid-2003. Participants.—Laboratories enrolled in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology. Results.—Of the 759 responding laboratories, most (85.5%) had implemented Bethesda 2001 terminology, and the majority had adopted major changes, such as elimination of the benign cellular changes category and the satisfactory but limited category. The median reporting rate for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion was 2.1%, compared to a 1996 median rate of 1.6%, but the increase was confined to liquid-based preparations. Reporting rates for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (median, 0.5%) and atypical squamous cells (ASC) had changed little. Most ASC cases were subclassified as “undetermined significance” (median, 3.9%) with ASC, cannot exclude high-grade SIL accounting for a minority (median, 0.2%). The median ratio of ASC to squamous intraepithelial lesions and carcinomas (SIL+) was 1.4 and was lower than the 1996 median ratio of 2.0. Median reporting rates for squamous abnormalities for 2002 were noted to be significantly higher for liquid-based preparations than for conventional smears, while median ASC/SIL+ ratios were lower. Most laboratories offer human papillomavirus testing, but almost half (47%) of laboratories do not know the percentage of positive testing results in patients with ASC. Conclusions.—Most laboratories have implemented Bethesda 2001 terminology. New criteria and liquid-based methods have led to an increase in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion reporting rates and a decrease in ASC/ SIL+ ratios when compared with 1996 data. Liquid-based preparations have higher median squamous intraepithelial lesion rates and lower ASC/SIL+ ratios than conventional smears.


2003 ◽  
Vol 127 (9) ◽  
pp. 1169-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Lytwyn ◽  
John W. Sellors ◽  
James B. Mahony ◽  
Dean Daya ◽  
William Chapman ◽  
...  

Abstract Context.—Although human papillomavirus (HPV) testing may aid in managing low-grade abnormality on screening cervical cytology, patient compliance with repeat testing programs requires consideration. Objectives.—To determine effectiveness and costs of repeated Papanicolaou (Pap) test and oncogenic HPV testing for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or 3. Design.—We conducted a randomized controlled trial of combined Pap test and cervical HPV testing by Hybrid Capture 1 test compared with Pap test alone; tests were performed every 6 months for up to 2 years. The study end point was colposcopic examination performed on all women at 2 years, or earlier if an HPV test was positive or if a Pap test showed high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Setting.—Sixty-six community family practices. Participants.—Two hundred fifty-seven women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion on screening cervical cytology. Main Outcome Measures.—Detection of histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or 3, fully allocated costs, and loss to follow-up. Results.—Combined Pap test and HPV testing detected 11 (100%) of 11 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3, whereas Pap test alone detected 7 (63.6%) of these 11 cases (P = .14); corresponding specificities were 39 (46.4%) of 84 and 45 (71.4%) of 63 (P = .005). The cost-effectiveness ratio was Can $4456 per additional case of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Sixty-nine (26.8%) of the 257 women (24.6% combined group vs 29.1% Pap test only group, P = .41) defaulted from testing or from colposcopy when referred with an abnormal result. Conclusions.—Combined testing was more costly but may detect more cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 than Pap test alone. However, poor adherence limits usefulness of a management strategy that requires repeated follow-up.


1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-185
Author(s):  
Shiva Raj KC ◽  
OP Talwar

Background: ‘AgNOR’ represents Nucleolar Organiser Regions stained with silver which are related to cell proliferation rate and tumor malignant potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of AgNOR in differentiating benign and precancerous lesions from cancerous lesions in both cervical smears and histology. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study conducted at Manipal Teaching Hospital, from July 2005 to June 2007. Women of suspected cervical pathology and who underwent pap smears test followed by subsequent biopsy were included. There were 53 cases were included out of which 11 cases were of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and 12 cases of low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and 10 cases each of carcinoma, chronic cervicitis with and without squamous metaplasia. Results: In Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion meanAgNOR dots was < (2.9 in pap smears and 1.9 in histology) in high grade lesion (3.45 in pap smears and 3.00 in histology). In carcinoma meanAgNOR dots was 5.18 and 4.05 in pap smears and histology respectively. Subjective AgNOR Pattern Assessment in pap smears and in histology was increasing with significant difference from intraepithelial lesions to carcinoma. Conclusion: In cervical pathology, the number and shape of AgNOR dots change from benign to precancerous to malignant tumors. Similarly, AgNOR Pattern Assessment is useful in differentiating benign to intraepithelial lesions to carcinoma cases. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpn.v2i3.6017 JPN 2012; 2(3): 180-185


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document