Deep Learning-based Ensemble Approach for Conventional Pap Smear Image Classification

Cervical cancer screening allows the early signs of precancerous abnormalities in the cervix before they develop into invasive cancer. The Pap Smear is a widely used screening for early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. In many remote areas, the number of cytologists available to interpret pap smear screening tests is insufficient. This lack of personnel makes the test interpretation very time-consuming. To address this, deep learning techniques have been employed to detect cervical cancer cells and support cytologists. Therefore, an integrative approach with deep learning models and the ensemble techniques such as the maximum occurrence and the maximum probability score of cervical cells was proposed. The multi-cell assessment of the Pap smear slide allowed aggregate predictions of single cervical cell images using the proposed method. The classification results between pre-trained deep learning models and the proposed method were compared. In the experimental results, the proposed method can achieve an accuracy score of more than 97%, while the best pre-trained deep learning model can attain an accuracy score of more than 85%. Hence, the proposed method may have the potential to assist physicians or cytologists in the classification of cervical cell types for Pap Smear images.