Abstract

We studied cervical cytology of 175 cases of histologically confirmed microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix in Cheil General Hospital from 1991 to 1993. Excluding 32 cases of insufficient smear, 143 cases were reviewed in view of background, cellularity, smear pattern, nuclear chromatin and presence of nucleoli. The characteristic findings of microinvasive carcinoma were syncytia and/or individual tumor cells in the focally necrotic inflammatory background. Nuclear chromatin was clear or fine. Nucleoli were observed in 55%. The prediction rate of microinvasive carcinoma was 74%. There is no significant relationship between the cellular features and depth of invasion.

• Keywords: Uterine cervix;Microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma;Cytologic features