Analyzing the differences between the cytological and histological methods in the vulva malignant neoplasm diagnosis

Abstract

Introduction. Vulvar cancer is a rare female genital tract tumor. Unfortunately, the final diagnosis is often made in the late stage despite the available visualization methods. It indicates the need to improve the early diagnosis methods. The aim of the study was to improve the efficiency of the cytological diagnosis of vulvar cancer and pre-cancerous lesions by comparing the cytological and histological findings and diagnoses and analyzing the differences. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the biopsies, smears, and scrapings of 82 patients from 2014 to 2019 was carried out. Results. We found that true positive conclusions were given in 75% of cases, false negative – in 25% (17 cases). False positive results (overdiagnosis) occurred in 3.6% of all cases compared. The sensitivity of the cytological method was 76.4%, its specificity – 70%. We discussed the possible causes of incorrect cytology conclusions. Conclusion. A retrospective analysis of the discrepancy between the cytological and the histological diag-noses allowed us to identify the microscopic features that resulted into incorrect conclusions and, thus, to increase the reliability of the cytological diagnosis Keywords: vulvar cancer, neoplasia, melanoma, Paget’s disease, vulvar cytology