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Updated: Oct 11, 2025
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Quality-Controlled Sputum Analysis by Flow Cytometry
Published on: August 9, 2021
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Quality metrics in cervical cytopathology: A single institutional study
Dheepa Senthil Kumar1, Gayatri Ravikumar1
1Department of Pathology, St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, India.
Summary
This study assessed cervical cancer screening quality using Pap smears. High cytohistological correlation (CHC) and positive predictive value (PPV) indicate reliable quality for early detection and management.
Area of Science:
- Cytopathology
- Gynecologic Oncology
- Laboratory Quality Management
Background:
- Quality control is crucial for laboratory performance in cytopathology.
- Cervical cancer screening relies on accurate Papanicolaou (Pap) smear reporting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the quality of cervical cytopathology reporting.
- To assess quality metrics including atypical squamous cells/squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC/SIL) ratio, cytohistological correlation (CHC), and positive predictive value (PPV) for Pap smears.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 22,695 Pap smears from 2015-2020 was conducted.
- Quality metrics analyzed included ASCUS, ASC-H, ASCUS/SIL ratio, CHC, and PPV.
- CHC involved comparing cytology results with cervical biopsy or hysterectomy findings.
Main Results:
- A definitive diagnosis was achieved in 74% of cases.
- The ASC/SIL ratio was 0.38.
- CHC was 100% for ASC-H, LSIL, and SCC, and 84.7% for HSIL.
- The PPV for squamous lesions was 96.4%.
Conclusions:
- High-quality cytopathology reports are essential for early cervical cancer detection and management.
- The study recommends incorporating CHC and PPV as easily measurable quality indicators for Pap smear reporting, alongside the ASCUS/SIL ratio.
