Comparative study of the ThinPrep Pap test and conventional cytology results in a Canadian cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the frequency of Pap test results in a prospective series of direct to vial ThinPrep tests to a cohort of conventionally prepared tests. To follow-up all test results for a minimum of 2 years and assess performance based on this outcome.


METHODS
All women presenting for either routine screening or colposcopic examination in 2001 were enrolled in the ThinPrep cohort. A similar, population of conventionally prepared tests was extracted from the year 2000 laboratory data. Information on all concurrent and follow-up cervical specimens over the ensuing 2 years was retrieved.


RESULTS
The ThinPrep cohort comprised 2288 Pap tests and the conventional, 2211. The frequency of normal [within normal limits (WNL) and benign cellular changes (BCC)] results in the ThinPrep cohort was 6% lower and the frequency of abnormal [> or =atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS)] results was 6.8% higher. Respective ThinPrep and conventional cohort results were 1156 (51%) and 1291 (58%) WNL, 625 (27%) and 561 (25%) BCC, 101 (4%) and 65 (3%) ASCUS, 21 (1%) and 2 (0.1%) atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance, 301 (13%) and 224 (10%) low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 74 (3%) and 40 (2%) high-grade SIL (HSIL) (P < 0.0001). Follow-up was available for nearly 80% of each cohort. LSIL or higher was confirmed in 57.5% (n = 266) of the abnormal ThinPrep and 60.9% (n = 190) of the abnormal conventional tests. The ThinPrep yield of confirmed tests however was almost 50% higher than the conventional test.


CONCLUSIONS
In this population, ThinPrep was superior to the conventional Pap test.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada. maire.duggan@cls.ab.ca
M A
MA
Duggan
M
M
Khalil
P M A
PM
Brasher
J G
JG
Nation
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*