Trends in epithelial cell abnormalities observed on cervical smears over a 21-year period in a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyse trends in epithelial cell abnormalities [ECAs] in cervical cytology at a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait. ECAs in 135,766 reports were compared over three seven-year periods between 1992 and 2012. Conventional Papanicolaou [Pap] smear tests were used in the first two periods and ThinPrep [Hologic Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, USA] tests were used in the third. Significant increases in satisfactory smears, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS] and atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance/atypical glandular cells [AGUS/AGCs] were seen in the second and third periods [P <0.001]. No significant increases were observed among low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions [LSILs] or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions [HSILs] [P >0.05]. An increase was noted in carcinomas between the first and second periods although a significant decline was seen in the third [P <0.014]. Satisfactory smears, ASCUS and AGUS/AGC increased during the study period although no significant increases in LSILs, HSILs or carcinomas were observed