ATYPICAL SQUAMOUS CELLS OF UNDETERMINED SIGNIFICANCE

Course overview

ATYPICAL SQUAMOUS CELLS OF UNDETERMINED SIGNIFICANCE (ASC-US) IS A CATEGORY OF CERVICAL EPITHELIAL CELL ABNORMALITIES DESCRIBED BY THE BETHESDA SYSTEM FOR REPORTING CERVICAL CYTOLOGY. IT REFERS TO ABNORMAL CYTOLOGIC CHANGES THAT ARE SUGGESTIVE OF THE SQUAMOUS INTRAEPITHELIAL LESION (SIL) BUT ARE QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY LESS THAN THOSE OF A DEFINITIVE SIL DIAGNOSIS. BASED ON THE PATIENT'S AGE AND THE ESTIMATED RISK OF POSSIBLE UNDERLYING NEOPLASTIC LESIONS, AN ASC-US REPORT REQUIRES FURTHER FOLLOW-UP BY DOING REPEAT CYTOLOGY AND HPV TESTS TO GUIDE THE MANAGEMENT OF POTENTIAL PRECANCEROUS/CANCEROUS CERVICAL LESIONS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ASC-US AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THIS PROCESS.