Role of PAP Smear Cytology and p16 Immunocytochemistry for Detection of Cervical Lesions of Cervix: A Hospital-Based Study

Back ground Pap-smear-based cytology is used widely in detecting cervical precancerous lesions and still needs further standardization. Co-expression of p 16 can be used as an additional biomarker for detection of cervical lesions. Objectives The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic value of Pap smears and detection of the p 16 proteins in women with cervical lesions. Materials and Methods Totally 66 cases of cervical smear were taken, out of whom 14 samples were cytologically normal, 16 samples were inflammatory, 15 samples had low squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 11 samples had high squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and 10 samples had cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The expression of p 16 was evaluated by immunohistochemical method. The immunostaining results of p 16 were classified into four categories: negative, 1+, 2+ and 3+. Results There was a significant increase in the expression of p 16 ( P