Clinical evaluation of the EA-rosette test in the early detection of cervical cancer.

It was previously found that a negative EA-rosette test, showing EA-rosette-forming cells in a cervical cell suspension, excluded the presence of cells of invasive carcinoma (predictive value of 99.9%). This study on 2,462 patients confirmed the applicability of the EA-rosette test in screening for precancerous as well as cancerous lesions. In 98.6% of the cases of dysplasia, carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma, the cervical cell suspensions contained EA-rosette forming cells (the rosette test was positive). With a negative EA-rosette test, the probability of missing a specimen with class III cytology (mild/moderate dysplasia) was 1.4%, of missing one with class IV cytology (severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ) was 0.8% and of missing one with class V cytology (invasive carcinoma) was 0.25%. The predictive value of a negative EA-rosette test was 98.6%. The false-negative rate for negative EA-rosette tests was 3.7% for invasive carcinoma, 17.5% for carcinoma in situ and severe dysplasia and 41.4% for mild to moderate dysplasia.