Glandular Stuff - Suggested Readings1
Glandular Disease Detection – Published Studies
The detection of endocervical glandular lesions is an essential function of the Pap test. However, abnormal glandular cells in the Pap sample may also originate from the endometrium or from extrauterine sites. The Pap test is not intended to be a screening test for such lesions.
When suspected glandular abnormalities are identified, their accurate classification as true glandular versus squamous lesions is important for proper evaluation and subsequent treatment (e.g. choice of excisional biopsy method versus conservative follow-up). Multiple peer-reviewed publications [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] report on the improved ability of the ThinPrep® System to detect glandular disease versus the conventional Pap smear. Although these studies do not consistently address sensitivity of different Pap testing methods in detecting specific types of glandular disease, the reported results are consistent with more frequent biopsy confirmation of abnormal glandular findings by the ThinPrep Pap Test compared to conventional cytology.
Thus, the finding of a glandular abnormality on a ThinPrep Pap Test slide merits increased attention for definitive evaluation of potential endocervical or endometrial pathology.
SUGGESTED READINGS:
- Ashfaq R, Gibbons D, Vela C, Saboorian MH, Iliya F. ThinPrep Pap Test. Accuracy for glandular disease. Acta Cytol 1999; 43: 81-5
- Bai H, Sung CJ, Steinhoff MM: ThinPrep Pap Test promotes detection of glandular lesions of the endocervix. Diagn Cytopathol 2000;23:19-22
- Carpenter AB , Davey DD: ThinPrep Pap Test: Performance and biopsy follow-up un a university hospital. Cancer Cytopathology 1999; 87: 105-12
- Guidos BJ, Selvaggi SM. Detection of endometrial adenocarcinoma with the ThinPrep Pap test. Diagn Cytopathol 2000; 23: 260-5
- Schorge JO, Hossein Saboorian M, Hynan L, Ashfaq R. ThinPrep detection of cervical and endometrial adenocarcinoma: A retrospective cohort study. Cancer Cytopathology 2002; 96: 338-43
- Wang N, Emancipator SN, Rose P, Rodriguez M, Abdul- Karim FW. Histologic follow-up of atypical endocervical cells. Liquid-based, thin-layer preparation vs. conventional Pap smear. Acta Cytol 2002; 46: 453-7