title: Women in a region with high incidence of cervical cancer warrant immediate colposcopy for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance on cervical cytology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the histopathology of women who had "atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance" (ASC-US) on cervical cytology in a region with high incidence of cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case-record review of 254 women with ASC-US cytology undergoing colposcopic examination at Nakornping Hospital between October 2003 and September 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 254 patients who had ASC-US smears underwent colposcopic and histopathologic evaluation. The mean age was 45.3 years (range, 18-72 years). The histologic diagnoses, obtained from colposcopically directed biopsy or endocervical curettage or loop electrosurgical excision procedure or cold knife conization after initial colposcopy, showed that 47 (18.5%) women had histologically confirmed high-grade lesions and 20 (7.9%) women had invasive cancers. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of high-grade or invasive lesions between who were 50 years old or more and those who were younger (50.0% and 50.5%, respectively, p = 0.39).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reporting ASC-US cytology in our population is obviously associated with significant cervical pathology, particularly invasive cancer that is possible at a rate higher than previously reported. Women who have ASC-US smears should therefore be referred for immediate colposcopy regardless of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Watcharin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Suntornlimsiri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003127:Colposcopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D055815:Young Adult; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*