title: [ASCUS in screening].
abstract: The significance and use of the cytological diagnosis "atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance" (ASCUS) remain a major problem in cervical cancer screening. The prevalence of ASCUS by patient age has seldom been investigated. The present paper reports the prevalence of ASCUS in a large series of screening Pap smears from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The study was based on the data collected by the Department of Health of the Emilia-Romagna Region for the first 3-year round (1997-1999) of a population-based screening programme (target age, 25-64 years). The age-specific frequency of ASCUS has been calculated as a prevalence rate per 1000 screened patients. A total of 597,386 women participated in the programme. Women diagnosed with ASCUS (n = 8205 or 13.7 per 1000) accounted for 49% of the recalls for colposcopy (n = 16,871, or 28.2 per 1000). The prevalence of diagnoses of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LG-SIL) decreased progressively with age while that of high-grade SIL was slightly higher between 30 and 39 years. The prevalence of ASCUS peaked at age 45-49 years (17.3 per 1000 subjects). The observed peak reflects the prevalence of (1) cytological changes closely associated with perimenopausal age and at least compatible with the ASCUS diagnosis, and (2) cytological abnormalities induced by hormone replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Vecchio Ospedale, Via Amendola 2, I-40026 Imola, Italia. anapat@ausl.imola.bo.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caprara
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monari
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: De Bianchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amadori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bondi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008403:Mass Screening; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone
vernacular_title: ASCUS in screening.