Doctor, I have a question regarding the Pap smear result. PAP group I. Bethesda AII with the proviso that no cervical canal cells and BI are found. I am 29 years old and I have not had sex. I have endometriosis and take birth control pills. The aforementioned result applies to all three Pap tests I have performed so far. I do not know the result of the fourth test yet. What does the absence of cervical canal cells mean? What should I do? I really care about the full credibility of my cytology. Please reply.
The absence of cervical canal cells on preparations of non-comorbid patients may indicate difficulties in accessing the cervical canal. The natural anatomical limitation is the presence of hymen. Given the low risk of HPV infection (sexually transmitted; its chronic presence in the body is the main reason for the development of cervical cancer), as recommended, the test should be repeated in 12 months.
Note: In women who have intercourse, the information about the lack of cells of the cervical canal / transition zone on the preparation may indicate an incomplete test, because the most common neoplastic transformation takes place in the so-called transition zone (the place where the cells of the cervical glandular epithelium transform into the squamous epithelium that lines the cervical shield). The probability of finding cervical canal cells on the specimen can be increased by performing cytology on a liquid medium (thin-layer, LBC), in which 100% of the cells taken from the patient are transferred to the laboratory. In the case of conventional cytology, less than 10% of them are transferred to the preparation.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
dr n. biol. Paweł WeberA graduate of the University of Wrocław and the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Since 2010, he has been working at Becton Dickinson (BD) as a specialist for Central and Eastern Europe for modern methods of Woman He alth & Cancer diagnostics. He lectured on the diagnosis of cervical cancer for students of the Medical University of Warsaw, midwives, participants of the conference of the National Chamber of Laboratory Diagnosticians and the Polish Society of Pathologists.
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