title: Clinical significance of cervical smears with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance designated "favor reactive" or "favor preneoplastic".
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to determine the clinical significance of the two subgroups of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), designated "favor reactive" and "favor preneoplastic."
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical Papanicolaou smears with a diagnosis of ASCUS favor reactive or ASCUS favor preneoplastic were retrieved between October 1993 and September 1994 (12 months). Cases with follow-up colposcopic biopsies within 6 months were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen percent of 67 ASCUS favor reactive patients and 39% of 264 ASCUS favor preneoplastic patients had follow-up biopsies, respectively. Squamous intra-epithelial lesions were diagnosed on biopsies in 58% of cases of ASCUS favor reactive patients and in 61 % of cases of ASCUS favor preneoplastic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the results, a high percentage of patients in both subgroups of ASCUS patients were diagnosed with squamous intraepithelial lesions on follow-up biopsies. Major prognostic difference is not apparent between the two subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, TX.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zachariah