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Is cervicography a useful diagnostic test? A systematic overview of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The appropriate approach to women with mild dyskaryotic changes on Papanicolaou smear is subject to controversy. Our aim was to assess the usefulness of cervicography as a diagnostic test in detecting cervical cancer or its precursors. METHODS: We undertook an extensive literature search looking for pertinent studies of cervicography published between 1966 and 1996. Eligible studies included those in which the reference standard (colposcopy) was done on all patients. The following information was calculated: sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, disease prevalence, and likelihood ratios. RESULTS: Cervicography has a high false-positive rate. This rate ranged from 8.2 to 61.0 percent (median 42.1 percent) for any dysplasia and 9.8 to 63.4 percent (median 50.6 percent) for high-grade cervical lesions. Likelihood ratios for a positive test result ranged from 1.0 to 10.6. Likelihood ratios for a negative result ranged from 0.02 to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS: The usefulness of cervicography is heavily dependent on the approach used to evaluate abnormal findings on a Papanicolaou smear. If a provider typically offers colposcopy to all patients with low-grade cytologic findings on a Papanicolaou smear, cervicography will decrease colposcopy use and allow for detection of cases of high-grade dysplasia missed by the index Papanicolaou smear. If a provider typically uses watchful waiting with repeat Papanicolaou smears for all patients who have low-grade cytologic findings, cervicography will substantially increase the use of colposcopy. Many of these colposcopies will be done as a result of false-positive cervigrams.

Female↗

Do follow-up recommendations for abnormal Papanicolaou smears influence patient adherence?

OBJECTIVE: To compare adherence to follow-up recommendations for colposcopy or repeated Papanicolaou (Pap) smears for women with previously abnormal Pap smear results. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Three northern California family planning clinics. PATIENTS: All women with abnormal Pap smear results referred for initial colposcopy and a random sample of those referred for repeated Pap smear. Medical records were located and reviewed for 90 of 107 women referred for colposcopy and 153 of 225 women referred for repeated Pap smears. INTERVENTION: Routine clinic protocols for follow-up--telephone call, letter, or certified letter--were applied without regard to the type of abnormality seen on a Pap smear or recommended examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Documented adherence to follow-up within 8 months of an abnormal result. Attempts to contact the patients for follow-up, adherence to follow-up recommendations, and patient characteristics were abstracted from medical records. The probability of adherence to follow-up vs the number of follow-up attempts was modeled with survival analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine multivariate relationships related to adherence. RESULTS: The rate of overall adherence to follow-up recommendations was 56.0% (136/243). Adherence to a second colposcopy was not significantly different from that to a repeated Pap smear (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-2.46). The use of as many as 3 patient reminders substantially improved adherence to follow-up. Women without insurance and women attending 1 of the 3 clinics were less likely to adhere to any follow-up recommendation (hazard ratio for no insurance, 0.43 [95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.93], and for clinic, 0.35 [95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.73]). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to follow-up was low in this family planning clinic population, no matter what type of follow-up was advised. Adherence was improved by the use of up to 3 reminders. Allocating resources to effective methods for improving adherence to follow-up of abnormal results may be more important than which follow-up procedure is recommended.

Adolescent↗

Detection of high-grade cervical dysplasia: impact of age and Bethesda system terminology.

Pap smear, colposcopy, and biopsy results were collected from 1988-1993 at a group of family planning clinics. Positive predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for diagnosis of high-grade lesions based on age and Pap smear results. One thousand and forty-seven colposcopies were logged; 771 had a biopsy or endocervical curettage. Seventy-nine (10%) were high-grade lesions. If only human papillomavirus (HPV) was reported on the Pap smear, the likelihood of a high-grade biopsy was lowest (positive predictive value, 4.5%; likelihood ratio, 0.4). Women under age 25 were less likely to have high-grade biopsies (positive predictive value, 7.3%; likelihood ratio 0.7). Repeat Pap smears for atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion (LGSIL) showing only HPV in women under age 30 would have reduced the immediate colposcopy rate by 60% and delayed diagnosis by 23% of high-grade lesions. Consideration of patient age and whether HPV is the only Pap smear finding may reduce referral for immediate colposcopy.

Adult↗

Vaginal dysplastic lesions in women with hysterectomy and receiving radiotherapy are linked to high-risk human papillomavirus.

Patients undergoing radiotherapy for advanced cervical and endometrial cancer bear a considerable risk of developing vaginal preneoplastic lesions. Radiotherapy itself has been considered to have a role in the pathogenesis of vaginal dysplasia, although human papillomavirus (HPV) involvement has also been suggested. A series of 88 patients who underwent hysterectomy and were irradiated for gynecological cancer, including 43 with postradiation vaginal dysplasia at colposcopy and 45 without vaginal lesions, were included in this study. Detection and genotyping of HPV DNA in vaginal scraping were carried out by a PCR-based method and compared with colposcopic and cytological findings and with other clinical and laboratory data. Forty-two (97.7%) colposcopy-positive subjects and 6 (13.3%) colposcopically-negative patients were PCR-positive for high-risk HPV DNA (P < 0.000001). Twenty-two out of the 43 patients with colposcopic lesions showed an abnormal Papanicolau (PAP) test. Cytologic examination was negative in all colposcopically negative women. Type 16 HPV DNA was more frequent in patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and in patients treated with external radiotherapy, whereas other types of high-risk HPV were more common in patients with low-grade lesions and in those treated with brachytherapy. When considering colposcopy as the standard for diagnosing vaginal dysplasia, HPV DNA testing was more sensitive than the PAP test. However, the specificity of the PAP test was higher with no false-positive case. In conclusion, vaginal preneoplastic changes in women post-hysterectomy and receiving radiotherapy for cervical, endometrial, and vaginal cancer represent an HPV-related nosologic entity. Whereas colposcopic examination can detect these preneoplastic lesions, HPV genotyping is a sensitive, inexpensive, and noninvasive method that may complement colposcopy and the PAP test.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Human papillomavirus coinfections of the vulva and uterine cervix.

DNA filter in situ hybridisation (FISH) was used to determine the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes 6/11, 16/18, and 31/33 in cell scrapes of the cervix and vulva of 128 women who had precancerous lesions and/or HPV infection of the cervix diagnosed by cytology, colposcopy, and histology. HPV-DNA was found in 87 (68%) vulval and 95 (74%) cervical cell scrapes, and in both the vulval and cervical scrapes of 73 (57%) women, but not in either the vulva or the cervix of 19 women (15%). Of the HPV-DNA-positive smears, the prevalence of the HPV types was 61% HPV 16/18, 14% HPV 6/11, 3% HPV 31/33, and 22% HPV 6/11 and 16/18. By contrast, HPV-DNA was not detected in the cervical smears of a control group of 35 women who were assessed to be free of cervical abnormalities by colposcopy and cytology. The epithelial response of the vulva and the cervix to application of 5% acetic acid was assessed by colposcopy and the results correlated with the presence of HPV genotypes. A possible or definite disorder of the cervix and vulva was detected by colposcopy in 95 (74%) and 96 (75%) of the 128 cases, respectively. The colposcopic assessment of the vulva was inconclusive in ten cases (8%), and only eight women (6%) were found to be free of both a vulval and cervical disorder. This study shows subclinical papillomavirus infections of the vulva frequently coexist with HPV infections and precancerous lesions of the cervix.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

High-risk HPV testing in women with borderline and mild dyskaryosis: long-term follow-up data and clinical relevance.

In The Netherlands and most other European countries, women with two serial cervical smears with borderline or mild dyskaryosis (BMD) within 6 months are referred for colposcopy-directed biopsies. Only about 10% of these women have high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). This study therefore investigated whether human papillomavirus (HPV) testing could identify which women with smears read as BMD are most likely to have high-grade CIN, either at referral or during follow-up and the relationship was determined between clearance of high-risk HPV and regression of abnormal cytology. Women with smears read as BMD (n=278) were referred to the gynaecologist for colposcopy. They were subdivided into two groups; group A comprised women with a single smear (n=172) and group B women with two sequential smears (n=106) read as BMD before referral. High-risk HPV detection with Hybrid Capture II (HC II) was performed on a cervical scrape taken at the first visit before colposcopy (i.e. baseline smear) and during follow-up. Biopsies were taken when lesions suspected for CIN were seen at colposcopy. High-risk HPV DNA was present in the baseline smears of 126 (45.0%) women; 26 (20.6%) of them had histologically confirmed CIN 2/3 at the first visit and another 14 (11.1%) during follow-up. Only one of the 152 women (0.7%) with a negative high-risk HPV test had a CIN 2 lesion at the first visit and no CIN lesions were detected during follow-up of these women. After exclusion of women who were treated for prevalent high-grade CIN, the median follow-up times were 1.3 years (range 0.0-4.3 years) and 1.6 years (range 0.0-4.5 years) for women with HPV-negative and HPV-positive baseline smears, respectively. The sensitivity of a positive high-risk HPV test for CIN 2/3 at the first visit was 96.3%, the specificity 60.2%, the positive predictive value 20.6%, and the negative predictive value 99.3%. These values did not change markedly when stratified for group A or group B. Thus, a high-risk HPV positive test was strongly associated with the presence at the first visit and the development of CIN 2/3 lesions during follow-up. Moreover, regression of abnormal cytology in women with a positive high-risk HPV test at baseline was strongly associated with viral clearance and occurred 0.3 years (range -1.2 to 1.7 years) later than HPV clearance. This study establishes the value of a high-risk HPV positive test for women at risk of high-grade CIN, with virtually no risk for missing CIN 2/3. Addition of a test on high-risk HPV in women with BMD could prevent 55% of the referrals and/or repeat smears.

Adult↗

Concomitant anomalies in 100 children with unilateral multicystic kidney.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and type of associated urogenital anomalies in children with a unilateral multicystic kidney and to assess in children with nephrectomy the additional diagnostic value of cystoscopy and, in girls, of colposcopy. METHODS: This was a follow-up study of 100 fetuses with antenatally detected unilateral multicystic kidneys. After ultrasound confirmation of the diagnosis within a few days after birth voiding cystourethrography and isotope scan were performed in 83 of the surviving children to exclude vesicoureteral reflux and to establish renal function. Eighty-one children underwent nephrectomy and, prior to surgery, all underwent cystoscopy and girls also underwent colposcopy. RESULTS: Seventy-five children had one or more additional urogenital anomalies: 39 had anomalies of the contralateral kidney, 40 had anomalies of the ipsilateral kidney and 30 had one or more anomalies of the lower urogenital tract. With cystoscopy 54 anomalies of the genitourinary tract were detected in 48 children and with colposcopy three anomalies were detected in 35 girls. Eighty-one children had a nephrectomy or heminephrectomy and 33 of them needed other urological intervention. Thirteen fetuses died (mostly from agenesis of the contralateral kidney) and six infants had no surgery at all. CONCLUSION: Children with a unilateral multicystic kidney are at considerable risk of having other urogenital anomalies. When cystoscopy and colposcopy are added to routine investigations the rate of detection of anomalies is 75%, twice that reported in the literature.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

The value of cervical cytology in HIV-infected women.

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of cytology to predict the results of colposcopically directed cervical biopsies in HIV-infected women. We performed a case-control study of 52 HIV(+), 31% of whom had AIDS, and 57 HIV(-) women referred to two tertiary care centers for colposcopy from July 1991 to November 1993. All 57 HIV(-) controls and 27 HIV (+) cases underwent colposcopy for evaluation of an abnormal Pap smear. The remaining HIV(+) cases (n = 25) had colposcopy as part of their routine assessment. In women with abnormal Pap smears, colposcopic biopsy agreed with the Pap smear results in 83% of 24 HIV(+) women and 65% of 37 controls (chi 2; P = 0.34). For patients with low-grade SIL on Pap smear, 14% of HIV(+) and 11% of HIV(-) women had moderate or severe dysplasia on biopsy (P = 0.52). The positive predictive value of an abnormal Pap smear was 96% in HIV(+) women vs 78% in noninfected patients (P = 0.05). In the overall series of 52 HIV(+) women, the Pap smear did not match the biopsy in 44% of patients and was less severe than the cervical biopsy results in 91% of these mismatches. The Pap smear had a sensitivity of 57%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value of 96%, and a negative predictive value of 39%, when compared to biopsy results in HIV-seropositive patients. Pap smears missed 43% of biopsy-proven intraepithelial lesions in this series of HIV (+) women. However, when abnormal, the Pap smear was no worse in predicting the presence and degree of an intraepithelial lesion in HIV(+) women than in noninfected women. These characteristics may justify immediate treatment of HIV(+) women at the time of colposcopy after an abnormal Pap smear given its high positive predictive value.

Adult↗

Independent clinical factors which correlate with failures in diagnosing early cervical cancer.

Our aim was to identify independent factors that correlated with colposcopically directed biopsy's reliability as a method for diagnosing early cervical cancer. One hundred ninety-one of a total of 2265 patients who had colposcopic examinations because of abnormal Papanicolaou smears were included in this study. These patients had all undergone a hysterectomy after being diagnosed as having cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade III by colposcopically directed biopsy. By univariate analysis, old age (P = 0.0195), achievement of menopausal status (P = 0.0046), large lesion size (P = 0.0021), and unsatisfactory colposcopy (P = 0.0017) were found to be associated with the nondiagnosis of early cervical cancer. However, multivariate analysis using stepwise logistic regression revealed that large lesion size (P = 0.003) and unsatisfactory colposcopy (P = 0.0008) were the only independent factors that correlated with nondiagnosis. Our findings indicate that in order to reach a clear-cut diagnosis, cases with either unsatisfactory colposcopy or satisfactory colposcopy with large lesions (despite a lack of histologic evidence of invasions) should undergo a diagnostic conization.

Adult↗

Colposcopic analysis of genital human papillomavirus infections during an 8-year prospective follow-up.

A long-term prospective follow-up program has been conducted for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in 532 women in Kuopio since 1981. By regular examinations (at 6-month intervals) using colposcopy, cytology and/or punch biopsy, 426 of these women have been followed up for the minimum of 48 months (mean 71 +/- 19 months). These 426 women were included in the present report. The colposcopic data of all women at the first and the latest visits were recorded from the colpophotographs, analysed and correlated with cytology, histology, HPV DNA detection and clinical behavior (i.e. prognosis) of the disease. Colposcopic abnormalities were found in 313 (73.5%) women at the first visit and in 138 (32.4%) patients at the latest visit. HPV infections were diagnosed in 368 (86.4%) women at the first visit and in 75 (17.9%) at the latest visit on light microscopy (i.e. biopsy and/or PAP smear). CIN was found in 54.7% of the women at the first visit. HPV DNA was detected by in situ hybridization in 38.2% of the biopsies assayed. Colposcopical multicentric lesions were found in one third of the women upon examination of the entire lower genital tract. The majority of the lesions were situated within the transformation zone. HPV infection and CIN were most frequently encountered in women with multiple lesions. Progression to CIN III was most frequent in large lesions (28.6%). No colposcopic pattern was able to distinguish HPV infections from CIN lesions, or predict the progression of the former. The results implicate that: (1) colposcopy is an essential method to disclose abnormalities due to CIN and HPV infections, but histological changes cannot be predicted on a single colposcopy; (2) HPV infection is a multicentric disease, making the careful examination of the entire lower genital tract mandatory on every colposcopy; and (3) the HPV progressors cannot be predicted on the basis of the colposcopic patterns.

Adult↗

Predicting absolute risk of CIN3 during post-colposcopic follow-up: results from the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS).

OBJECTIVE: At present, clinical management of women referred to colposcopy but found to have <CIN2 remains unclear. Using data from the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS) to inform clinical management, we calculated the absolute risk for developing CIN3 within 2 years of referral to an enrollment colposcopy. STUDY DESIGN: Women included in the analyses: (1) were initially referred to ALTS with a community cytologic interpretation of atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL); (2) had a colposcopic evaluation and biopsy, if indicated, resulting in a diagnosis <CIN2; and, therefore (3) were followed without treatment. Results from subsequent human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, liquid-based cytology interpretations, and a second colposcopic evaluation at least 6 months after and within 2 years of the first colposcopic evaluation were used to calculate absolute risks for CIN3. RESULTS: Women with HPV-negative test results were at low risk for CIN3 regardless of other test results. Among HPV-positive women, increasing absolute risks of CIN3 were observed with increasing cytology severity: 7% (normal), 11% (ASCUS and LSIL), and 45% (HSIL). The highest absolute risk for CIN3 (67%) was observed for HPV-positive women with HSIL and a colposcopic impression of high-grade/cancer on the second colposcopy. CONCLUSION: In the ALTS population, after the first colposcopic diagnosis of <CIN2, clear risk stratification for CIN3 outcomes was obtained among women with a subsequent HPV-positive test. Because absolute risk for histologic CIN3 outcomes was high for women with HPV positive tests, HSIL cytology, and a high-grade impression at second colposcopy, it is worth considering whether this combination of findings might warrant immediate excisional therapy in some circumstances.

Adult↗

Subsequent risk and presentation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 or cancer after a colposcopic diagnosis of CIN 1 or less.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the risk and presentation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 or cancer after colposcopic diagnosis of CIN 1 or less. STUDY DESIGN: After colposcopy for an abnormal cytology, women with CIN 1 or less had annual cytology evaluations and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) tests (Hybrid Capture II). Colposcopy was repeated if the cytology result was ASC-H, or worse, ASC-US/high-risk HPV test positive, or every 2 years if the cytology was normal/high-risk HPV test positive. Differences in rates of CIN 3 or cancer were compared by log rank Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: With median follow-up periods of 26.3 months, 47 of 2490 women (1.9%) with CIN 1 or less subsequently had CIN 3 or cancer. Subsequent CIN 3 or cancer was more likely if the high-risk HPV test was initially positive (45/1960 women [2.3%]) compared with negative (2/530 women [0.4%]; P = .0002) and if women were older (age > or = 30 years, 28/1021 women [2.7%]; age 20-29 years, 17/1017 women [1.7%]; age < 20 years, 2/452 women [0.4%]; P = .045). When CIN 3 or cancer was diagnosed, 45 of 46 women (97.8%) had positive high-risk HPV test and 42/46 women (91.3%) had an abnormal cervical cytology. The yield of CIN 3 or cancer per colposcopy for women (4/205 women [2.0%]) who had normal cervical cytology/positive high-risk HPV tests was lower than for women (41/541 women [7.6%]) who had abnormal cervical cytology/positive high-risk HPV tests (chi-square test, 8.3; P < .005), and it did not increase with increasing length of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Annual cytology and high-risk HPV tests with colposcopy for high-risk HPV test positive/abnormal cytology and at least every 2 years for high-risk HPV test positive/normal cytology is advised after a colposcopic diagnosis of CIN 1 or less.

Adult↗

Trial of management of borderline and other low-grade abnormal smears (TOMBOLA): Trial design.

Cervical screening reduces the risk of cervical cancer by detecting and treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The management of women with low-grade cervical abnormalities is controversial. Two management policies exist: repeat smears in primary care and colposcopy examination. It is not clear which of these is the more effective and efficient. There is also uncertainty as to the most effective and efficient management of women at colposcopy when an area of abnormality is seen on the cervix - immediate treatment or biopsy and selective recall for treatment if the biopsy result suggests this is necessary. The result of a human papillomavirus (HPV) test might assist in deciding the appropriate management of women with low-grade abnormalities. TOMBOLA, a pragmatic randomised-controlled trial set within the cervical screening programmes in Scotland and England, addresses these three areas of uncertainty. Almost four and a half thousand women aged 20-59 with a low-grade cervical abnormality have been recruited and randomised to either repeat smears or colposcopy examination. Women in the colposcopy arm of the trial are further randomised to a policy of either immediate treatment or biopsy and selective recall for treatment if they have an abnormal transformation zone. Women are followed up to an exit examination at 3 years. HPV testing is undertaken at recruitment and at the exit examination. The primary endpoint is cumulative incidence of CIN2/3. A range of other clinical, psychosocial and economic outcomes is being considered. This paper describes the design of the trial, and discusses the rationale underlying aspects of the design and the challenges faced in designing and implementing the trial.

Alphapapillomavirus↗

A comparison of four screening methods for cervical neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity and accuracy of 4 screening methods for cervical neoplasia. METHODS: Cervical samples from 450 women were evaluated for human papillomavirus DNA with a second-generation hybridization assay. Visual inspection, colposcopy, and liquid-based cytology were also performed for 273 of these women. The sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), Youden index, and kappa value of the different screening methods were compared. RESULTS: Liquid-based cytology was superior in specificity (98.63%) and PPV (92.86%) to visual inspection and colposcopy, while human papillomavirus DNA testing was superior in sensitivity (88.89%) and NPV (97.10%) to visual inspection and colposcopy. The best concordance with histologic findings was achieved by using both liquid-based cytology and viral DNA hybridization. CONCLUSION: Visual inspection and colposcopy should not be used when screening for early stage cervical lesions. The DNA hybridization assay is the best choice in primary screening, if available. Screening should begin at the age of 20 years.

Adult↗

Passive cigarette smoking is a risk factor in cervical neoplasia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of spouse's cigarette smoking in the detection of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with multivariate analysis. SETTING: Colposcopy clinic in a tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Women referred to a colposcopy clinic for evaluation of abnormal Papanicolaou smears showing either repeated inflammatory changes, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Data collection. The women were interviewed with a structured questionnaire for sexual history, use of oral contraceptive pills, personal and spouse cigarette-smoking history, and obstetric history. RESULTS: There were 623 women in the cohort. They were grouped into normal, LSIL, and HSIL categories based on colposcopy and histologic assessment. There were very few women who had had more than one sexual partner or a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The prevalence of oral contraceptive pill usage was 2.9% among the women in the normal group, 4.3% in women with LSIL, and 5.1% in women with HSIL. The incidence of cigarette smoking by the women was 2.5%, 3.2%, and 6.8% for the three groups of women, respectively. The incidence of spouse cigarette smoking was 25%, 35%, and 43% respectively. Compared to women in the normal group, women with HSIL were younger at first sexual intercourse, more likely to smoke cigarettes, and have spouses who smoked cigarettes. After controlling for age, age at first sexual intercourse, usage of combined contraceptive pills, and the woman's own cigarette-smoking habit, the odds ratio for HSIL was 1.046 for every stick of cigarette smoked by the spouse. In other words, the risk of detection of HSIL increased by 4.6% for every stick of cigarette her spouse smoked. CONCLUSIONS: Among women attending a colposcopy clinic, the risk of detection of HSIL increases with the spouse's cigarette-smoking habit. Further studies are warranted in quantifying the risk in a general population.

Adult↗

Is human papillomavirus testing an effective triage method for detection of high-grade (grade 2 or 3) cervical intraepithelial neoplasia?

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to assess the usefulness of the polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of human papillomavirus infection for prognostic value in the triage strategies for high-grade (grade 2 or 3) cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in women referred for colposcopy after abnormal Papanicolaou smears. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1007 women referred to a colposcopic clinic providing care for an indigent population were studied. Four hundred fifty-four women were referred after two Papanicolaou smears reported as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or low grade-squamous cervical intraepithelial lesion, and 553 were referred after a single smear reported as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. All women had a cervical smear, colposcopy-directed biopsy, and endocervical curettage performed. A sample for human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid detection by polymerase chain reaction was obtained. RESULTS: High-risk human papillomavirus types were detected in 463 (46%) of 1007 women studied. There was a significant increase of the frequency of high-risk human papillomavirus by the increasing severity of biopsy findings ranging from 32.7% in women without cervical intraepithelial neoplasia on biopsy to 60% in women having grade 2 or 3 on the biopsy specimen. Women having a negative Papanicolaou smear found to have high-risk human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid at the time of colposcopy had a significantly higher rate of grade 2 or 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia on the biopsy specimen than did women without high-risk human papillomavirus. There was no such difference observed in women with a cytologic finding of low- or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions at the time of colposcopy. The polymerase chain reaction assay appears to be more sensitive than the commercial human papillomavirus profile test. The positive predictive value for grade 2 or 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of both tests was similar (21.7% and 22.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The human papillomavirus is associated with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, but the screening for human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid does not have prognostic value in women reported as having atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions on two precolposcopy Papanicolaou smears.

Biopsy↗

Evaluation of atypical and low-grade cervical cytology in private practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adequacy of cytology alone for diagnosis of grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to study performance of cytology, human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, and colposcopy in the evaluation of cytologic findings suggesting low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL), or atypical squamous (ASCUS) or atypical glandular (AGCUS) cells of undetermined significance. METHODS: Standard gynecologic and cytologic evaluation and colposcopic inspection as an additional screening approach were performed on women with no prior hysterectomies screened in a private practice between January 1, 1993, and August 1, 1995. Among these 7651 women, 367 had ASCUS, AGCUS, or SIL cytology or clinically or colposcopically visible cervical lesions. Sensitivity, specificity, and relative risk of CIN in the 367 women were compared by colposcopic, cytologic, histologic and virologic diagnoses. RESULTS: The sensitivity of all non-negative Papanicolaou smears for CIN 2-3 and cancer was 92%, combined cytologic categories of high- and low-grade SIL were 59%, and high-grade SIL alone was 22%. Colposcopy was performed in all 367 patients, and positive findings led to biopsies in 48%. Colposcopy of patients with ASCUS increased detection of CIN 2-3 by 32% and CIN 1 by 48%. Cervical cytology was false negative in 8% of patients with CIN 2-3 and in 14% of those with CIN 1. These cases of CIN were detected by screening colposcopic inspection. High-risk HPV DNA was positive in 41% of women with CIN 2-3, and in 25% of those with CIN 1. The positive predictive value of ASCUS cytology increased from 5% to 42% for CIN 2-3 and from 30% to 85% for all grades of CIN in patients carrying high-risk HPV DNA. Virologic studies did not add to an increase in the sensitivity for CIN 2-3 among women in the low- and high-grade SIL cytology groups. CONCLUSION: Because of the limited sensitivity of the high-grade SIL cytologic category for CIN 2-3, we recommend that all women with ASCUS, AGCUS, low- or high-grade SIL cytology be recalled for colposcopy, with biopsy only when indicated by colposcopic findings.

Adolescent↗

Histologic findings from the cervix among older women with abnormal cervical cytology.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine rates of cervical neoplasia among women at least 50 years of age referred for colposcopy after abnormal cytology and to compare these to younger women. METHODS: From a prospectively accrued database of 2825 women undergoing colposcopy in the gynecology clinic of an urban public hospital, women at least 50 years of age with a known cytologic abnormality were selected for retrospective analysis. Demographic and medical information collected at colposcopy and subsequent histology was reviewed. Cytology results were based on the Bethesda system, and histology was reported as grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Statistical analysis was by t test, chi(2) test, and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Among 325 women at least age 50, cervical histologic results were benign or atypical for 147 (45%), CIN1 for 28 (9%), CIN2 for 21 (6%), CIN3 for 49 (15%), cancer for 11 (3%), and ungraded dysplasia for 7 (2%), with no biopsy performed for 62 (19%) women. Symptoms were more common among women with cancer (6/11 or 55%) than those without (62/263 or 21%, P = 0.01). Negative histology (80/231 or 35%), CIN3 (49/231 or 21%), and cancer (9/231 or 4%) were more common among older than younger women (287/1403 or 20%, 199/1403 or 14%, and 11/1403 or 1%, respectively), while atypia (438/1403 or 31%), CIN1 (321/1403 or 23%), and CIN2 (147/1403 or 10%) were more common among younger than older women (53/231 or 23%, 23/231 or 10%, and 17/231 or 7%, respectively, P < 0.04). Differences in the distribution of cervical histology results remained significant among women with ASCUS (P = 0.001) but not those with LSIL (P > 0.9), HSIL (P > 0.07), or cancer (P > 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Most older women are referred for colposcopy with lesser grades of abnormality, but cervical cancers are found across all cytologic grades and were more common in symptomatic women. Compared to younger women with abnormal cytology, women at least 50 years of age with ASCUS had higher rates of negative evaluations and high grade but not low- or mid-grade lesions.

Age Factors↗