COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF CERVICAL SMEAR CYTOLOGY METHODS

Abstract

The present study provides a comparative analysis of conventional Pap smear ang liquid-based cytology (LBC) methods, considering age-related features of cytological findings in women. A retrospective analysis included 400 cytological reports from women divided into three age groups: 18-44, 45-49 and >50 years. Cytological results Negative for interaepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM) were classified according to the presence of inflammation, atrophy or no background chances. In the conventional method, inflammatory changes predominated in smears of women aged >50 years (50%,  2 =16,88; р<0,01), whereas NILM without background changes was more common in the 18-44 group (73%). In the LBC group, inflammatory changes were more frequent in women aged 18-44 (86,1%,  2 =20,75; p= 0,002), while atrophic changes were more often observed in those aged >50 (19,5%). Abnormal cytological findings were identified in 9% (conventional method) and 11,5% (LBC), primarily ASC-US and LSIL. Statistically significant differences were found in the structure of cytological conclusions NILM between the two methods (p<0,01). LBC showed higher sensitivity in detecting inflammatory and early cellular changes in women under 50. The results emphasize the diagnostic characteristics of each method and highlight the importance of age-related considerations when choosing a cervical screening strategy.