title: Acetic acid test: a promising screening test for early detection of cervical cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the acetic acid test (AAT) could be used as a screening testfor early detection of cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based study was carried out. A sample of 376 women who attended the early cancer detection program of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in the state of Durango during 1998 was included. The AAT was applied during the gynecologic examination. Each women underwent colposcopy and directed cervical biopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The biopsies revealed that five women had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN 1) and 51, 2/3. Four values (true positive,false positive, false negative and true negative) were obtained according to the pathologic test for CIN 1(5, 129, 0 and 191) andfor CIN 2/3 (47, 129, 4 and 191). Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value in women with CIN 1 were 1.00, .60, 1.00 and .04 and with CIN 2/3 were .92, .60, .98 and .27, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This test is promisingfor early detection of cervical cancer given its high sensitivity. Understanding the biologic mechanisms underlying acetowhite changes necessitates further studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Hospital General de Zona 46, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Gómez Palacio, Durango.
authors.forename: Esperanza Rosalba
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Reyes
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cerda-Flores
authors.forename: Juan Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Quiñónez-Pérez
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Velásco-Rodríguez
authors.forename: Elva I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Cortés-Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D019342:Acetic Acid