The analysis of anal cytology positivity in women with pathological cervical cytology

Abstract

Objective: Cervical cytology (CC) is a routine screening method used to reduce cervical cancer. Although anal cancer and cervical cancer have similar etiological factors the opinion about the anal cancer screening program is unclear. We aimed to determine the features of women with abnormal anal cytology (AC) who had screened via CC for cervical neoplasia. Methods: Two hundred and five females' CC results were investigated. The patients with normal CC were excluded, finally 87 participants were included. The demographics, medical, sexual, and reproductive features, CC and AC results were analyzed. Results: The study group had a mean age of 40.77 ± 9.50 years. AC was pathological in six patients (6.9%). Four of these (66.7%) were high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and two (33.3%) were low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). The CC results of these patients were all HSIL, all of them were human papillomavirus (HPV) positive, with the most common type being 16 (83.3%). Conclusion: Women with HSIL in CC (especially with concomitant HPV) may be riskier for AC positivity. The others are most likely to have negative AC results. The use of AC for early diagnosis of risky anal intraepithelial lesions (such as a screening tool) may be considered for this group of patients.