Clinical evaluation of atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance on cervical cytology.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence of and identify risk factors for clinically significant diagnoses associated with the diagnosis on Papanicolaou test of atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance.

METHODS

A computer search was initiated of diagnoses of atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance at the Massachusetts General Hospital from January 1993 through December 1996. Seventy-three patients with 81 smears were identified that were seen in the Colposcopy Clinic. All cytology was reviewed. A clinically significant lesion was defined as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) or worse, endocervical glandular atypia or worse, or carcinoma.

RESULTS

The rate of diagnoses of atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance was 0.167%. All patients underwent colposcopy, and 88% underwent endocervical curettage. A clinically significant diagnosis was made in 34.2% of patients, including cancer in 8.2%. A concurrent squamous diagnosis carried a risk of clinically significant lesion of 50%, compared with a risk of 25.5% for atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance alone (P = .043). Premenopausal and postmenopausal patients were both at risk for clinically important lesions, but premenopausal patients were more likely to have a high-grade SIL (30.4% versus 7.4%, P = .04). The subtype "suggestive of reactive" was a significant negative predictor of significant lesion (odds ratio = 0.09, 95% confidence interval 0.018, 0.482) in a logistic regression model controlling for age, menopausal status, and concurrent squamous diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance is an important Papanicolaou test diagnosis that needs appropriate and careful evaluation. Further studies are required to clarify areas of risk and to make triage algorithms.