Cytopathology of false negatives preceding cervical carcinoma.
The Papanicolaou smear has been a remarkably effective tool in cancer prevention, but it is not a perfect test. Although the most important factor in failure of cervical cancer prevention is lack of adequate screening, other factors include problems with sampling, interpretation, and effective clinical follow-up. A small number of rapidly developing cervical cancers probably also arise in the interval between Papanicolaou smear screenings. Consequently, cervical cancer will develop in some women despite appropriate screening. This article will analyze some of the problems relating to diagnostic errors, which include abnormal cells that are few (< 100), small, or bland.
DeMay
R M
RM
Section of Cytopathology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears