title: Implications regarding atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance among women residing in a US-Mexico border city.
abstract: We conducted a study of Mexican American women living in a US-Mexico border city who attended a gynecology clinic for Papanicolaou (Pap) smear. The objective of this study was to describe the cytologic outcomes of women who had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) diagnosis after a Pap smear and to observe any changes during follow-up colposcopy. A total of 852 abnormal Pap smear were identified through a computer search for a 6-month period. Histology data were available for 317 cases. Benign findings were observed in 45.4% of cervical biopsies. A clinically significant diagnosis was reported in the remaining tissue sample. The diagnosis report was either single or combined and recorded as follows: human papilloma virus 46.3%, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, 23.6%; CIN 2, 5.6%; and CIN 3, 1.5%. There was one case of invasive cervical cancer. Overall, the incidence rate of ASCUS was 5%. However, we found that a significant proportion of this population had CIN 1 through CIN 3. Furthermore, this population has traditionally been noncompliant and routinely failed to attend follow-up appointments. Based on these results, the clinician should not ignore an initial abnormal Pap smear. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to perform colposcopy in Mexican American patients with a first time diagnosis of ASCUS on routine Pap smear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duarte-Gardea
authors.forename: O R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Quezada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000379:methods; D015344:DNA Probes, HPV / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D015344:DNA Probes, HPV