CORRELATION OF CERVICAL CYTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY IN WOMEN WITH ABNORMAL PAP SMEAR: A HOSPITAL-BASED STUDY

Abstract

Background: Cervical cytology is an established screening method for detecting cervical epithelial abnormalities, while histopathological examination of cervical biopsy provides tissue-level assessment and is commonly used to confirm the nature and grade of lesions. Standardized terminology such as the Bethesda System facilitates communication between cytology laboratories and clinicians.
Aim: To assess the correlation between cervical cytology findings and subsequent cervical histopathology in women presenting with abnormal Pap smear results.
Methods: A hospital-based observational study was done on 100 women with abnormal cervical cytology who subsequently underwent colposcopy-directed cervical biopsy or appropriate tissue sampling. Cytology was categorized according to Bethesda terminology and histopathology according to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade and invasive malignancy. Descriptive statistics, chi-square testing and diagnostic performance measures were used.
Results: In the cohort dataset, LSIL was the most frequent cytological category (35%), followed by ASC-US (25%), HSIL (25%), ASC-H (10%) and AGC (5%). Histopathology showed benign/inflammatory changes in 20%, CIN1 in 30%, CIN2 in 20%, CIN3 in 20%, invasive squamous cell carcinoma in 8% and adenocarcinoma in situ in 2%. A high-grade cytology category (HSIL/ASC-H/AGC) was associated with CIN2+ histology in 38 of 40 women. Using CIN2+ as the histological endpoint, high-grade cytology had a sensitivity of 76.0% and specificity of 82.0%.
Conclusion: The dataset demonstrates a strong relationship between increasing cytological abnormality and higher-grade histopathological lesions. Cytology and histopathology are complementary components of cervical precancer detection, and close coordination between OBG and Pathology departments can improve diagnostic interpretation and clinical decision-making.