Safety and usefulness of the Cervex brush® for uterine cervical cancer screening of pregnant women

Objective : An attempt was made to confirm the safety and diagnostic value of the Cervex brush® for uterine cervical cancer screening of pregnant women.Study Design : We conducted cancer screening using the Cervex brush® in a total of 179 pregnant women between 2014 and 2016, and obtained 184 samples. The severity of bleeding at the time of screening was scored from (−) to (++). Five patients with abnormal cytology underwent both Cervex brush® sampling and cotton swab sampling at the same time.Results : In the group from which samples were obtained with the use of the Cervex brush®, about 99% showed no bleeding or only slight bleeding within 24 hours after the sampling. The severity of bleeding was not related to the gestational duration or the cytological results. No severe obstetrical complications were encountered after the Cervex brush® sampling. The proportion of inappropriate smears was higher for cotton swab sampling than for Cervix brush® sampling.Conclusion : Cervical cancer screening using a Cervex brush® can be performed safely in pregnant women, and is a more efficient sampling method than cotton swab sampling for accurate cytological diagnosis.