Abstract
Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. It is an aggressive malignancy that is preventable if detected early. The best method of early detection of precancerous lesions of cervix is cytological examination of Pap smears. This study was undertaken to find out the pattern of epithelial cell abnormalities in Pap smears carried out in a tertiary care hospital of Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia.
Material & Methods: An analysis of the records of Pap smears carried out at the Pathology Department of King Fahd Hospital of the University of Dammam from January 2000 to December 2010 was undertaken. Cases with epithelial cell abnormalities were identified. The slides were retrieved from departmental record and diagnosis was re-evaluated as per revised Bethesda system.
Results: Out of a total of 7,772 Pap cytology cases available for study, epithelial cell abnormalities were seen in 101 (1.30%) cases. The abnormalities detected were ASCUS (0.48%), ACS-H (0.06%), LSIL (0.19%), HSIL (0.37%), SCC (0.10%), AGUS (0.25%), and adenocarcinoma (0.05%). Mean age of patients was 51.02 +/- 10.18 years.
Conclusion: An almost uniform spectrum of epithelial cell abnormalities was observed over a period of 11 years that was conspicuous with a lower frequency of epithelial cell abnormalities and a higher mean age as compared to other studies from Saudi Arabia and the Eastern Mediterranean Region.