title: Atypical glandular cells and cervical cancer: systematic review.
abstract: Atypical glandular cells are a common finding in cervical cytology in cervical cancer screening and its occurrence has increased in the last decades. The identification of these cells is clinically very important due to its association with cervical and endometrial dysplasic lesions and cancer. Using a systematic approach, this article reviewed studies investigating cervical lesions that are characteristic in patients previously diagnosed as having atypical glandular cells. Studies in which diagnostic investigation did not include histopathological diagnosis were excluded. A comprehensive search for available material in LILACS, SciELO, PubMed/ Medline and Old Medline databases, dated between 1966 and 2009 was performed. Articles omitted by the electronic database search were also included. Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected. This report aims at evaluating whether atypical glandular cells, initially found in cervical cytology and subsequently identified at the histological analysis, are related to the presence of benign, pre-malignant and malignant lesions. Eleven out of 19 selected articles showed the highest correlation between atypical glandular cells with benign diseases and six with squamous pre-malignant lesions.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - Centro de Ciências da Saúde (UFPE-CCS), Pernambuco, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Pedrosa de Holanda
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Lívia Bandeira
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Ana Paula de Souza E
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Anacássia Fonseca de
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Maria Eugênia Leite
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Ana Paula Fernandes
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Paloma Lys de
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Medeiros
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology