ASCUS Pap Smear

An ASCUS Pap smear may be caused by different factors: the presence of cell changes caused by sexual relations, use of tampons, vaginal creams or jellies before a Pap smear test, or an inflammation (irritation) associated with a bacterial or viral infection etc. In rare cases, atypical cells may progress to mild cervical lesions.

The ASCUS stands for Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance and means that there have been found some changed cells. Cells may have some deviations from normal appearance; however they give evidence of no obvious pathology. It is often difficult to determine a disease since results of ASCUS may often reflect an unclear character of cellular changes. The diagnosis ASCUS is not very dangerous and usually doesn't require any serious treatment, involving regular follow-up with Pap smears in women. More often than not, the Pap smear returns to normal, but it is recommended to undergo a colposcopy and an HPV test in order to evaluate the risk of progression to dysplasia in case an ASCUS Pap smear persists.

Women may sometimes groundlessly worry about an ASCUS pap smear. The fact is that in about 80% of women with an ASCUS Pap smear the test becomes normal in a few months. During this cytological test meant to detect cervical cells abnormalities, cells are taken from the surface of the cervix and cervical canal and then sent to a laboratory for a throughout analysis and a microscopic examination. The state of the collected cells is then studied and the results of analysis are classified according to the recognized system for reporting cervical cytology.

The Bethesda system for classifying Pap smear results provides several categories for the results of cytological analysis: negative Pap smear, ASCUS Pap smear, benign or reactive cellular changes, ASC-H, HSIL, AGUS, LSIL, carcinoma, squamous carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Confusing as it may seem to patients, this system, started by specialists in cervical pathology at the end of the 20th century, allows doctors to determine an adequate management for each particular case, in particular, for patients with ASCUS pap smear.