Abstract
OBJECTIVES: New cervical screening methods have been developed. They seem to become accepted in routine use without randomized trials, within existing screening programmes. Our aim was to evaluate, in a randomized setting, the performance of automation-assisted cytological screening in routine use compared with conventional Papanicoalou (Pap) screening.
SETTING: This prospective study was based on a 1:2 individually randomized design. Altogether 777,144 women were invited to attend the routine screening programme.
RESULTS: Automation-assisted screening found more Pap class III (LSIL+) findings compared with conventional study arm, relative risk (RR) 1.08 (confidence interval 1.01-1.15). Also, detection rates of verified pre-cancers were more common in automation-assisted arm, RR 1.11 (1.02-1.21).
CONCLUSIONS: Automation-assisted screening performed well compared with conventional screening. The difference was smaller than reported in non-randomized studies. A new technique may assume several years to reach the ultimate quality and can add costs without improving efficacy. Follow-up of prevented cervical cancers is required.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-28 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCREENING |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Automation
- Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia/diagnosis
- Female
- Humans
- Mass Screening/methods
- Middle Aged
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis
- Vaginal Smears
