[Long term progress of low-grade intraepithelial lesions after a smear and colposcopy, directed biopsies and/or normal endocervical curettage].

Abstract

Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance are the most frequent cytologic abnormalities. Their management is still highly controversial because of the many uncertainties associated with them concerning their histology and their natural history. Cervical smears HPV testing were proposed as an alternative to colposcopy. Neither have a sensitivity equivalent to that of colposcopy. The diagnosis of these abnormalities could be delayed, and a severe lesion may even remain undetected because the cytologic surveillance is frequently omitted, smear sensitivity is far from being perfect and correlation is poor between cytology and histology. The combination of smears with the detection of high risk HPV types increases the triage sensitivity before colposcopy to the detriment of specificity and predictive value, and, therefore, of cost. With colposcopy the histologic diagnosis is rapidly reached and therapeutic management becomes easier because the size and location of the lesion are precisely known. However, the long-term outcome of patients with a normal colposcopy is very poorly known. Our study including 212 patients with a mean follow-up of 79 months, showed an incidence of lesions similar to that found in a control group; 12 CIN (5.7%) were identified, but no cancer. The prevalence of CIN was significantly lower in patients whose initial colposcopy was normal or became normal within the first six months that in patients whose control smear was normal or became normal within six months (1/81 = 1.2% versus 8/143 = 5.6%; P > 0.05). No lesions were observed in patients whose colposcopy and control smear were normal. These results confirm the reliability of colposcopy in patients with minor cytologic abnormalities.