Conventional Pap Smear and Liquid-based Cervical Cytology Smear: Comparison from the Same Patient

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Abstract
Background: The results of blind reading of smears obtained with liquid-based cytology in patients previously screened by conventional cytology were compared. Material and methods: Cases selected for the study were a consecutive series of 99 subjects undergoing colposcopy within the screening program of the Florence District. The Pap test samples were processed utilizing the Thin Prep 2000 (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, MA). The liquid-base cytology smears were randomly admixed and read by seven expert cytologists with more than 15 years of experience in Pap smear reading. For each case, a consensus diagnosis was created and considered as the definitive diagnosis. Cytologic reports in conventional and liquid-based cytology smears were compared by the κ statistic to evaluate diagnostic agreement. Results: The study showed that the conventional and liquid-based cytology provide comparable cytologic reports and that the latter is not less sensitive than the former in detecting CIN2+ lesions of the cervix. Discussion: Such evidence suggests the feasibility of randomized studies comparing the two methods, which are needed before adopting liquid-based cytology as the current method when screening for cervical cancer.