title: The clinically suspicious cervix--how often is it cancer?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcome of women referred to colposcopy with the clinical finding of suspected cancer ("clinically suspicious cervix").
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study of women referred to a dedicated colposcopy clinic serving a regional population with a clinically suspicious cervix was conducted. All referral letters were reviewed, and women were identified prospectively when the letter stated "referral for a clinically suspicious cervix." Relevant data were collected subsequently by case note review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred four women were identified, and 95 attended for colposcopy from September 2006 to January 2008. Nine women defaulted. Seventy-six (80%) had a normal cervix or a benign cervical pathological result. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was detected in 15 patients (16%), and only 4 women (4%) had invasive cancer confirmed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe that women referred with a clinically suspicious cervix should be assessed in a general gynecology clinic rather than colposcopy because most will not have cancer. The small number of women with a clinical cancer can then be referred onto colposcopy, whereas women with benign pathological result can be treated appropriately in the general clinic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK. dmiligk@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: Dimitrios S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Milingos
authors.forename: Vanessa N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Harry
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cruickshank
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000379:methods*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology