Cytopathology of false negatives preceding cervical carcinoma

Article Abstract:

False-negative results of Pap smears tend to fall into a few categories of error. Researchers reviewed five studies exploring the reason for false-negative Pap smears in women with cervical cancer. False negatives tended to occur when there were few abnormal cells on the slide, when the abnormal cells were also small, when the appearance of cells could represent cancer or harmless variations, when the smear was unsatisfactory but was not reported as such, and in cases where there was inflammation or postmenopausal changes. The cancers most likely to evade detection were small and located high inside the cervix.

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Death of the Papanicolaou smear? A tale of three reasons

Article Abstract:

Physicians must support the usefulness of the Pap smear. The Pap smear has been under attack because of some well-known cases in which a woman with a negative smear eventually died of cervical cancer. One problem is diagnostic labs that operate below well-accepted standards. Another is the low reimbursement rate for Pap smears, which must be analyzed by well-trained technicians. Another problem is that the test can be falsely negative. Thus, physicians must not rely solely on the Pap smear, but must use their clinical assessment. More women die from cervical cancer because they have never had a Pap test.

Medical screening, Health screening

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Reducing false negatives in clinical practice: the role of neural network techology

Article Abstract:

A new computer scanning technology could potentially reduce the number of false-negative Pap smears. Unlike other computer scanning methods, PAPNET uses artificial intelligence to compare microscope images of cervical smears with patterns of abnormal- and normal-appearing cells stored in its databank. Most false-negative results arise from smears where abnormal cells are few and small. PAPNET could supplement human review by identifying sections of the slide containing suspicious cells. The examining cytologist would then focus attention on these areas.

Innovations

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