Abstract
Background: Limited information is provided on the quantitative cytomorphometric study of the cervical Pap test. The cervical Pap test is an important screening program for cervical cancer. A quantitative cytomorphometric examination of cervical Pap is used to accurately identify precancerous and cancerous lesions early and to reduce the occurrence and avoidance of invasive cancer. This study was aimed to assess the cytomorphological parameters (nuclear diameter [ND], cytoplasm diameter [CD], and nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio [N/C ratio]) of squamous epithelial cells from a cervical Pap smear.
Methods and Results: A prospective study was performed on 142 consecutive cervical Pap smears from women with gynecological clinical complaints. The ND and CD were determined by the Optika optical microscope camera using a digitizer cursor in both axes. The final images were taken with an X40 magnification. The ND, CD, and the N/C ratio were then measured and expressed in micrometers.
The women were classified into 5 age groups: 5(3.5%) in the age group of <19 years, 46(32%) in the 20-29 group, 67(47.2%) in the 30-39 group, 23(16.2%) in the 40-49 group, and 1(0.7%) woman was over age 50. There were no significant differences in the N/C ratio of superficial cells between age groups. The ND, CD, and the N/C ratio were significantly higher in women with clinical complaints than in women without clinical complaints
Conclusion: Cytomorphometic analysis might assist in the identification of cellular alterations due to gynecological diseases and increase the sensitivity and accuracy of the Pap smear technique.