Cyto-Histological Correlation Analysis in the Diagnosis of Cervical Lesions: Cancer Prevention Clinic – Venezuela (2020-2024)
TL;DR
Cervical cytology maintains a valid diagnostic performance in the clinical setting, however, the standardization of auxiliary methods such as colposcopy and molecular typing tests is recommended to increase specificity, optimize clinical management, and reduce unnecessary procedures.
Abstract
Introduction: Cervical cancer is a global public health problem, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Venezuela. Although global incidence has decreased thanks to screening programs and vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), in Venezuela it remains one of the leading causes of female morbidity and mortality. Objective: Correlate the diagnosis of cervical cytology with the findings of cervical biopsy. Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional, and observational study conducted in patients treated at the “Clínica de Prevención del Cáncer” from January 2020 to December 2024. A total of 2,163 cytologies were performed, identifying 122 patients with simultaneous cervical biopsies, who formed the final sample of this analysis. Results: The mean age was 43.3±12.6 years; results showed that 4.06% of the total cytologies presented some type of cellular alteration, the most frequent was LSIL (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion). On the other hand, 50.82% of the biopsies presented pathological lesions, and 18% corresponded to invasive carcinoma. The correlation between cytology and cervical biopsy demonstrated a sensitivity of 85.48%, a specificity of 41.67%, a positive predictive value of 60.23%, and a negative predictive value of 73.53%. Conclusion: Cervical cytology maintains a valid diagnostic performance in the clinical setting. However, the standardization of auxiliary methods such as colposcopy and molecular typing tests is recommended to increase specificity, optimize clinical management, and reduce unnecessary procedures.