Liquid-based cytology detected CIN grade 1, but not CIN grade 2 or higher, more often than conventional cytology.
Liquid-based cytology is widely used for cervical cancer screening, but no large, randomized studies have assessed its accuracy. Italian investigators randomized more than 45,000 women (age range, 25–60) to undergo cervical cancer screening with either conventional or liquid-based cytology. The endpoint was long-term rates of histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or higher.
Compared with conventional cytology, liquid-based cytology had a higher sensitivity for detecting CIN grade 1, but not CIN grade 2 or higher, when both atypical cells of undetermined significance and low-grade intraepithelial lesions were used as cutoff points for colposcopy. In fact, liquid-based cytology had a significantly lower posi…