Evaluation of cytological screening for cancers and precancerous lesions of the cervix

The aim was to study retrospectively different parameters useful for the evaluation of cytological screening for cancers and precancerous lesions of the cervix. The study concerned 23,815 smears obtained consecutively from 18,045 women in 4 years. The proportion of follow up smears was equal to 11.1%. The % of abnormal smears was equal to 10.3% of all smears, 7.7% of screening smears (including 0.85% high grade or invasive lesions) and 30.7% of follow-up smears (including 5.55% high grade lesions). The 20,968 screening smears (from 16,896 women) included 2% unsatisfactory smears, 4.15% Ascus (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance), 2.6% LSIL (low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion), 0.77% HSIL (high grade SIL), 0.05% squamous carcinomas, 0.10% atypical glandular cells and 0.02% adenocarcinomas. Histological examination of the cervix was obtained in 3.3% of women with negative smears, 17.7% of Ascus, 45.8% of LSIL and 82.9% of HSIL. In 1,082 women with histological examination, an histological diagnosis of high grade or invasive lesion of the cervix was made in 7.2% of women with Ascus, 15.7% of cytological LSIL and 85.1% of cytological HSIL.