A comparison of conventional pap smear and liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer screening

Abstract

Objectives: Early diagnosis and treatment of preinvasive lesions have made cervical cytology one of the most effective methods of cancer screening in industrialized nations, which have seen a sharp decline in the incidence and death of invasive cancer. The aim of this study is to compare liquid-based cytology (LBC) and conventional Pap on cervical smears. Materials and Methods: From July 2018 to June 2022, 600 patients were included in this cross-sectional study, which was done at the Pathology Department of a Tertiary Care Facility in Western Maharashtra. Results: Of the 600 patients, 570 (95%) had good conventional Pap smear (CPS), whereas 30 (5%) had poor ones. Five hundred and ninety-Two (98.6%) LBC smears were satisfactory, whereas 8 (1.4%) were unsatisfactory. Endocervical cells were seen in 294 (49%) CPS, whereas 360 (60%) LBC smears showed endocervical cells. The morphology of inflammatory cells was similar in both techniques. Hemorrhagic background was seen in 212 (35%) CPS and 76 (12.6%) LBC smears. Only two samples showed diathetic background, which was seen on both CPS and smear. Out of the satisfactory smears in the case of CPS, 512 (85%) cases were reported as negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM), whereas 58 (9.7%) cases were reported as epithelial cell abnormality. In LBC smears, 526 (87.3%) were reported as NILM, whereas 66 (11%) were reported as epithelial cell abnormality. Organisms were detected in 208 (34%) CPS and 162 (27%) LBC smears. Screening time was 5 ± 1 min for CPS, whereas it was 3 ± 1 min for LBC smear. Conclusion: Mortality will be decreased using LBC on a bigger scale in nations where many smears can be made and screened in a short amount of time, with the provision of doing human papillomavirus-based testing on the remaining sample.