Abstract
Objective : To determine the unsatisfactory specimen rates in BD SurePathTM liquid based cytology (LBC) and conventional direct-smear cytology and identify the number of satisfactory but limited by specimens among the satisfactory specimens, using split samples obtained with a Cervex-BrushTM
Study Design : After specimen collection with a Cervex-BrushTM and direct smearing by conventional cytology, we recovered the tip of the brush into a specially designed vial and prepared a BD SurePathTM specimen. We then classified the adequacy of the specimens according to The Bethesda System 2001 into 3 categories : satisfactory, satisfactory but limited by, and unsatisfactory.
Results : There were 363 subjects, with a mean age of 48 years (26-82 years old). The unsatisfactory specimen rate in BD SurePathTM LBC was 0%, significantly lower than that of 4.4% (16 cases) in conventional cytology (p<0.001). The satisfactory but limited by specimen rate in BD SurePathTM LBC was 0%, as compared to the rate of 20.9% (76 cases) in conventional cytology. The factor responsible for the inadequancy of the specimens was the presence of an excessive number (>75%) of inflammatory cells in 13 cases (81.2%) of unsatisfactory specimens, and 66 cases (86.8%) of satisfactory but limited by specimens.
Conclusion : A combination of Cervex-BrushTM and BD SurePathTM LBC provided better conditions for cervical cancer screening than conventional direct-smear cytology.
