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INTRODUCTION: Cancer of the uterine cervix is the fifth cause of tumor and the third cause of death associated to neoplasms in women of the Republic of Panama. The most useful tool in the early detection of cancer and pre-neoplastic lesions of the cervix currently is the exfoliative cytology.
METHODS: For our study, we included all cervical-vaginal cytologies taken of female residents of the Ngobe-Bugle region of the Republic of Panama, from March 1st 2009 to March 31st 2010.
RESULTS: Of 6878 cytologies, 109 cases (1,58 %) were diagnosed as atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance and 24 cases (0,35 %) as atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Data found in our study is within the range described in the literature. The limitations of the morphological evaluation to predict squamous intraepithelial lesion and malignancy require the use of other diagnostic tests, such as the determination of the human papilloma virus, a useful tool in diagnosis of atypical squamous cells.
CONCLUSION: Ten years after TBS has been implemented, there are still private and public centers that over diagnose atypical squamous cells as squamous intraepithelial lesion or under diagnose it as reactive or “atypical”, so no one can estimate the dimension of this problem.
