[Cervical cytology picture--tobacco smoking and inadequate patients' history taking]

Cardio-vascular diseases as well as neoplasms (especially upper respiratory cancer and lung cancer) the most commonly mentioned consequences of tobacco smoking. But among tobacco-related diseases there are several other conditions including cervical cancer. In the present study we included 1166 females who underwent gynecological cytology examination at Obstetrical and Gynecological Office in University Hospital in Bydgoszcz from January till June 2007. All samples were stained according to Papanicolaou procedure and evaluated according to Bethesda classification. We analyzed also information regarding smoking habit which should be included in patients' form. In our studies we found that in 67% of cases physicians did not indicate patients' smoking status. According to patients records we received only 3% were smokers while 30% were non-smokers. In cytological smears from smokers we found about 3 times higher incidence of high grade lesions comparing with non-smokers (6% vs. 1.7%). However, atrophic and inflammatory changes were more often fund among non-smokers (30% vs. 18%). In conclusion, we can state, that in almost 70% of studied cases smoking habit information was ignored by clinicians. Lesions with high risk of cervical cancer were found more commonly in smoking patients.