title: Can we substitute brush cytology for biopsy in the evaluation of cervical lesions under the guidance of colposcopy?
abstract: In cervical cancer screening, colposcopically directed biopsy is the gold standard method for identifying intraepithelial and occult invasive lesions of the uterine cervix. As biopsy needs special expertise and the procedure is not convenient for the patients, we sought to evaluate colposcopically directed brush cytology as a substitute for biopsy of cervical lesions. We studied a series of 150 women who were referred for colposcopic evaluation. Colposcopically directed brush cytology and biopsy were performed for all patients with abnormal colposcopic findings. A total of 40 samples were excluded due to unsatisfactory report of brush cytology. Of the remaining 110 samples, 34 abnormal pathologies were reported in biopsy evaluations, while only 9 abnormal cytologies were reported in brush cytology specimens. Brush cytology sensitivity and specificity were 26% and 97%, respectively. We conclude that colposcopically directed brush cytology is not a safe substitute for biopsy in the evaluation of cervical lesions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mirza Koochak Khan Hospital, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. par127@mail.usask.ca
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Eftekhar
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izadi-Mood
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yarandi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khodamoradi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rahimi-Moghaddam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D003585:Cell Biology; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*