Publication:

Colposcopic evaluation of unhealthy cervix and its correlation with pap smear and cervical biopsy

Background Carcinoma cervix is the second most common gynecological malignancy amongst Indian women aged 25-44 years after carcinoma breast. But it is preventable as it has a long pre-invasive phase. Various methods are available for screening the cervical cancer which can detect disease in early stages of pre-invasive phase. Present study has been conducted to see the correlation of colposcopy, histopathology and Pap smear. This study aimed to screen women with PAP smear and colposcopy who have abnormal symptoms and to compare and correlate colposcopy and cytology with histopathology. Further, this study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of colposcopy versus pap smear in the early detection of dysplasias.

Methods This study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at AMCH, Shahbad from 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2022. This was a prospective clinical study on 200 randomly selected women who fulfilled selection criteria. They underwent Pap smear, colposcopy and cervical biopsy according to the criteria after informed consent.

Results This study showed that colposcopy had high sensitivity (82%) and a low specificity (81%) when compared to Pap smear. In the present study, the accuracy of colposcopic impression was found to be 82%.

Conclusions CIN lesions and early invasive cancers should be diagnosed in an earlier stage for instituting appropriate management. Colposcopy is definitely more sensitive and accurate than pap smear. By combining pap smear with colposcopy, we can maximise the sensitivity and specificity of cancer cervix screening.