Cytological and colposcopic findings in women seen at a university polyclinic in Asunción, Paraguay: A retrospective descriptive study

Authors

  • Azalea Teresita Filártiga Rodríguez Carrera de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Norte, Asunción, Paraguay Autor/a
  • Juan Carlos Chaparro Abente Carrera de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Norte, Asunción, Paraguay Autor/a
  • Isamu Javier Tsutsumida Akita Carrera de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Norte, Asunción, Paraguay Autor/a

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21765103

Keywords:

cervical cytology, Papanicolaou test, colposcopy, biopsy, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, uterine cervical neoplasms

Abstract

Introduction. Cervical cytology, colposcopy and biopsy are part of the evaluation of cervical abnormalities and contribute to the detection of precancerous lesions. Objective. To describe Papanicolaou test results, colposcopic findings and lesion categories recorded in the clinical records of a university polyclinic in Asunción. Materials and methods. Observational, retrospective, descriptive study. Clinical records of 455 women seen between June 2021 and August 2023 were reviewed. Age, residence, Papanicolaou result and colposcopic findings were extracted. Absolute frequencies and percentages were calculated according to available information. Results. Age was recorded in 98% of records; the range was 17–72 years, with a mean of 34 years and a mode of 24 years. Residence was available in 259 records (57%), most frequently from Asunción (88; 33.97%). There were 212 inflammatory Papanicolaou results (46.59%). Recorded colposcopic findings included bleeding, cervicitis, periorificial erythroplasia, atrophic epithelium and bacterial vaginosis. Reported results included 10 ASC-US, 1 ASC-US-SIL, 6 CIN 1, 4 CIN 2–3 and 2 CIN 3. Conclusions. The records show diversity of cytological and colposcopic results. Interpreting them requires cleaning denominators, clarifying the correspondence between each test and its result, and completing clinical and anatomopathological information.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. World Health Organization. Cervical cancer [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2026 [cited 2026 Aug 2]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer/

2. de Martel C, Plummer M, Vignat J, Franceschi S. Worldwide burden of cancer attributable to HPV by site, country and HPV type. Int J Cancer. 2017;141(4):664-670. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.30716

3. Bhatla N, Aoki D, Sharma DN, Sankaranarayanan R. Cancer of the cervix uteri: 2021 update. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2021;155 Suppl 1:28-44. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.13865

4. World Health Organization. WHO guideline for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention. 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240030824

5. Ronco G, Dillner J, Elfström KM, Tunesi S, Snijders PJF, Arbyn M, et al. Efficacy of HPV-based screening for prevention of invasive cervical cancer: follow-up of four European randomised controlled trials. Lancet. 2014;383(9916):524-532. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62218-7

6. Perkins RB, Wentzensen N, Guido RS, Schiffman M. Cervical cancer screening: a review. JAMA. 2023;330(6):547-558. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.13174

7. Fontham ETH, Wolf AMD, Church TR, *et al.* Cervical cancer screening for individuals at average risk: 2020 guideline update from the American Cancer Society. CA Cancer J Clin. 2020;70(5):321-346. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21628

8. Cerqueira RS, Santos HLPCS, Prado NMBL, *et al.* Controle do câncer do colo do útero na atenção primária à saúde em países sul-americanos: revisão sistemática. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2022;46:e107. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2022.107

9. Dorji N, Tshering S, Choden S, *et al.* Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of colposcopy in the diagnosis of histologic cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+ (CIN2+). BMC Cancer. 2022;22(1):899. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10030-7

10. Perkins RB, Guido RS, Castle PE, *et al.* 2019 ASCCP risk-based management consensus guidelines for abnormal cervical cancer screening tests and cancer precursors. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2020;24(2):102-131. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1097/LGT.0000000000000525

11. Cheung LC, Egemen D, Chen X, *et al.* 2019 ASCCP risk-based management consensus guidelines: methods for risk estimation, recommended management, and validation. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2020;24(2):90-101. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1097/LGT.0000000000000528

12. Boldrini NT, Freitas LB, Coutinho AR, *et al.* High-grade cervical lesions among women attending a reference clinic in Brazil: associated factors and comparison among screening methods. PLoS One. 2014;9(7):e102169. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102169

13. Nikolaus Y, Mujumdar V, Padgaonkar P, *et al.* Cytology-histology correlation of cervical Papanicolaou smears and biopsies performed at a single institution compared to those performed at different institutions. Cytopathology. 2023;34(1):61-65. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/cyt.13182

14. Arbyn M, Weiderpass E, Bruni L, de Sanjosé S, Saraiya M, Ferlay J, *et al.* Estimates of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in 2018: a worldwide analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(2):e191-e203. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30482-6

Published

2026-05-28

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Cytological and colposcopic findings in women seen at a university polyclinic in Asunción, Paraguay: A retrospective descriptive study. (2026). Revista UniNorte De Medicina Y Ciencias De La Salud, 14(2), 13–16. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21765103

Most read articles by the same author(s)