CERVICAL NEOPLASIA

ABNORMAL PAP SMEAR

A   24-year-old woman   is  referred    because of  a   Pap smear   showing HSIL

(high-grade squamous    intraepithelial lesion).    The patient states  that    her Pap

smear   three   years   ago was negative.   She has been    on  combination steroid

vaginal ring    contraception   for the past    four    years.  Her cervix  appears

unremarkable    on  gross   visual  inspection.

Premalignant lesions of the cervix are usually asymptomatic. The progression
from premalignant to invasive cancer has been reported to be approximately 8–
10 years. Most lesions will spontaneously regress; others remain static, with only
a minority progressing to cancer.

The most common etiology of cervical cancer is the human papilloma virus
(HPV). More than 75 subtypes of HPV have been identified.

HPV  16 ,   18 ,    31 ,    33 ,    and  35     are the most    common  HPV types   associated  with

premalignant    and cancerous   lesions of  the cervix.

HPV  6  and  11     are the most    common  HPV types   associated  with    benign

condyloma   acuminata.