To the Editor: We read with interest the letter by Breeze et al on management of abnormalities detected on cervical screening.1 Their study identifies a universal and fundamental feature of the Pap smear — namely, that it is an imperfect predictor of underlying abnormalities in the cervical epithelium.
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- Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, Sydney, NSW.
Correspondence: bronwyns@rcpa.edu.au
- 1. Breeze C, de Costa CM, Jagusch M. Do women in rural and remote areas need different guidelines for management of low-grade abnormalities found on cervical screening? Med J Aust 2006; 184: 307-308. <MJA full text>
- 2. National Health and Medical Research Council. Screening to prevent cervical cancer: guidelines for the management of asymptomatic women with screen detected abnormalities. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2005. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/_files/wh39.pdf (accessed Jul 2006).
- 3. Mitchell H. Outcome after a cervical cytology report of low-grade squamous abnormality in Australia. Cancer 2005; 105: 185-193.
- 4. National Health and Medical Research Council. Screening to prevent cervical cancer: guidelines for management of asymptomatic women with screen detected abnormalities. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 1994. http://www.csp.nsw.gov.au/downloads/wh16.pdf (accessed Jul 2006).
- 5. Schiffman M, Solomon D. Findings to date from the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS). Arch Pathol Lab Med 2003; 127: 946-949.
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