The adequate papanicolaou smear revisited

Abstract

The reliance on the Papanicolaou smear as a screening and diagnostic test for uterine cancer and its precursors infers that appraisal of the specimen's adequacy is based upon a uniform standard of quality. The presence or absence of endocervical cells in cervical samples has been suggested as one measure of a specimen's adequacy. Not all Cytologists are satisfied with the reliability of this criterion, however. On-going studies are indicated to determine those factors which are critical to the evaluation of the adequacy of these specimens.