| Clinical Significance of Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance: Qualifiers as a Guideline of Follow-up Management of ASCUS. |
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C S Park, J S Noh, J D Hwang, I S Joo, S Y Song, D S Bae, J H Lee |
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| Abstract |
OBJECTIVES
To define the clinical significance of qualifying the cytologic diagnosis of ASCUS in an effort to provide management guidelines. Study DESIGN: A total of 362 women with a cytologic diagnosis of ASCUS favoring either a reactive process or squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) evaluated by repeated Pap smear, colposcopy-directed biopsy and/or cone biopsy was reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 268 patients who had a cervicovaginal cytologic diagnosis of ASCUS favoring reactive process, 253 (94.4%) had a repeated smear and/or cervical tissue biopsy that was normal. Fifteen (5.6%) of 268 patients had squamous intraepithelial lesion. Of the 79 patients who had a cervicovaginal cytologic diagnosis of ASCUS favoring SIL, 38 (48.1%) had a repeated smear and/or cervical tissue biopsy that was normal. Forty one (51.9%) of 79 patients had SIL or invasive cancer. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a cytologic diagnosis of ASCUS favoring reactive process was associated with a very low risk that the patient was harboring SIL. But the patient whose initial smear showed ASCUS favoring SIL was associated with a relatively high risk that the patient was harboring SIL (p<0.05). So the patient whose smear showed ASCUS favoring SIL requires further active management even in the presence of a normal repeated Pap smear. |
| Key Words:
Pap smear, ASCUS, Qualifiers, Squamous intraepithelial lesion |
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