Pathologists at Ohio State University re-checked the Pap smears of 84 women whose initial Pap results were diagnosed as abnormal using the ThinPrep testing method. All women were on an oral contraceptive. In each case, the cells lining the cervix looked like cells infected with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer.

The new diagnoses found that in two-thirds of the women, there were no abnormal cervical squamous cells, or, more precisely, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS)/favor low-grade dysplasia. The presence of dysplasia abnormal cells indicates that a woman is infected with HPV, said Gerard Nuovo, the study's lead author and a professor of pathology at Ohio State University.

"That's a lot of women who were told that they had a venereal disease but really didn't," he said. "Not only that, but HPV is also a precursor of cervical cancer. We don't see cases of cervical cancer without the virus present."

The study appears in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Cytopathology.

When diagnosing a Pap culture, pathologists look for irregularities in cervical squamous cells. Squamous cells line the surface of an organ
'"/>

Contact: Gerard Nuovo
Nuovo.1@osu.edu
614-293-7853
Ohio State University
7-Jul-2003

Page: 1 2 3 4
Related biology news :

1. Testing the fitness of biological clocks
2. Testing soil for contamination
3. Testing method improves management of Johnes disease in cows
4. Taking The Animal Out Of Animal Testing
5. Vion Demonstrates Readiness Of First Tumor-Targeting Salmonella For Human Testing Against Solid Tumors
6. Testing Restaurant Compost For Greenhouses
7. GenRISK Genetic Testing Program At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Offers Patients New Hope In Confronting Disease
8. "Lab On A Chip" For DNA Testing Invented By U-M Engineers
9. Genetically Engineered Mice Show Characteristic Signs Of Alzheimers, Could Be Ideal Tool For Testing New Therapies
10. Hopkins Researchers Urge Regular Chlamydia Testing For All Sexually Active Teenage Women
11. Researchers Develop Fast Screening Method For Water Testing