A Comparative Analysis of Visual Inspection With Acetic Acid, Cervical Cytology, and Histopathology in the Screening and Early Detection of Premalignant and Malignant Lesions of the Cervix

Introduction: The incidence of cervical cancer and related mortality is growing worldwide. The natural history of disease progression ranges from 10 to 20 years. Hence, effective screening can help in the early detection and prevention of fatal complications. This study aims to (1) compare the sociodemographic characteristics of the women with malignant and premalignant lesions of the cervix, (2) collate the accuracy of visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (VIA) with Pap smear cervical cytology in the early detection of premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix, and (3) standardize it with histopathology, a gold standard screening tool. Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, India, from October 2020 to March 2021 including all the sexually active women of the reproductive age group and postmenopausal women attending the gynecology outpatient department and the indoor admitted patients. A total of 500 patients were included in the study. The women were subjected to a Pap smear followed by VIA. Punch biopsy was taken from the acetowhite regions and sent for histopathological examination. The women with abnormal cervical cytology results also underwent a biopsy and histopathological examination. Results: On comparative analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of Pap smear cytology were found to be 89.5% and 65.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of VIA were found to be 94.7% and 88%, respectively. The overall accuracy of VIA testing (93.2%) is more significant than that of Pap smear (68%). Conclusion: According to our study, it is found that visual inspection with acetic acid is more diagnostically accurate than Pap smear cytology. Hence, VIA testing could be implemented as a primary screening tool with credence. Also, as learned from our study, the premalignant and malignant lesions are more common among elderly women living under a low socioeconomic status. Hence, these groups of women must be outreached and covered through effectively targeted screening programs.