Cervical screening, along with cytology, is used in several countries to detect the risk of cervical cancer. While the association of abnormalities in cervical squamous cells with cervical cancer is known, its association with abnormalities in cervical glandular cells is not known. This study aims to evaluate the risk of invasive cervical cancer associated with the detection of atypical glandular cells (AGC).
This nationwide, population-based cohort study included a total of 2,899,968 women aged 23-59 years. The first abnormal result during the cervical screening was recorded. The primary outcome of the study was the cumulative incidence of cervical cancer.
The first recorded abnormal result was AGC in 14,625 women. The findings suggested that the prevalence of cervical cancer in women with AGC was 1.4%. This number was lower when compared with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (2.5%). However, the prevalence was higher than low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (0.2%). The findings further suggested that the risk of vertical cancer was highest in women aged 30-39 years.
The research concluded that abnormalities in glandular cells were associated with an increased risk of invasive cervical cancer in women. The risk was lower than women who had high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion but higher than those with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/352/bmj.i276
