Cytopathological pattern of cervical pap smears: A retrospective descriptive study at a tertiary care centre in a South Indian state

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most frequent cancer among women in India. Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test is the mainstay of cervical cancer screening.  
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of cervical epithelial abnormalities and to evaluate the pattern of cervical Pap smear cytology at a tertiary care centre.  
Materials and Methods: This is a hospital based retrospective descriptive study conducted among the patients who previously attended OPD of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology between the period of May 2022 and May 2023 and included evaluation of all the pap smears (the Bethesda system 2014) reported during this time period.