title: Cytological evaluation correlates poorly with histological diagnosis of vulvar neoplasias.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether cytological smears of the vulva correlate with vulvar biopsies of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasias (VINs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review (1995-2000) was performed to identify cases of VIN and vulvar carcinoma and to correlate vulvar Pap smears with biopsy results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred vulvar Pap smears were identified. Fifty of these patients had concomitant vulvar biopsies, and these cases constitute our study group. Twenty-two of these 50 women had biopsy-proven VIN or vulvar carcinoma. Only 7 (32%) of 22 patients with biopsy-proven disease had a vulvar Pap smear significant for VIN or vulvar carcinoma. The kappa statistic was 0.30 (95% CI=0.08-0.52), indicating poor agreement between vulvar cytology and biopsy results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vulvar cytological evaluation did not correlate well with tissue diagnosis of VIN; and thus, our findings do not support the use of vulvar cytology in the clinical management of VIN.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of OB/GYN, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7570, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Bae-Jump
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Le
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*