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A warning sign of abnormal cells: What is the difference between low-grade and high-grade lesions?
In modern medicine, systems for detecting and reporting abnormal cells play an extremely important role. In particular, The Bethesda System (The Bethesda System) for cervical cytology reporting, its update and classification system helps doctors determine whether women have potential health risks. This system has been revised many times since it was first introduced in 1988 to ensure its accuracy and effectiveness.
The Bethesda system is not only suitable for cervical cytology reporting, but has also been extended to the field of thyroid cytopathology reporting, showing its importance in cytology testing.
Types of cervical cell abnormalities
Abnormal results on cervical cells are mainly divided into two categories: low-grade and high-grade lesions. Low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL) are two important types, which have a significant impact on the choice of medical measures and follow-up testing.
Low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (LSIL)
LSIL usually represents a mild cervical abnormality, usually caused by human papillomavirus infection. The condition is usually reversible, and most patients recover naturally within two years. Therefore, when dealing with LSIL, doctors often adopt a "watch and wait" strategy.
Although the risk of LSIL is relatively low, further testing, such as colposcopy, is still necessary because there is a 12-16% chance of progression to more serious lesions.
High-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL)
Relative to LSIL, HSIL indicates moderate or severe cervical abnormalities that may further develop into invasive cancer. Although about 2% of women who are diagnosed with HSIL have already developed aggressive cancer, about 20% of women will develop cancer over time without treatment.
Therefore, in most cases, a colposcopy is performed immediately after HSIL diagnosis to take samples. This is to ensure that the abnormal cells are dealt with in a timely manner.
Abnormal gland cells
In addition to squamous epithelial cells, abnormalities in glandular cells also require attention. Adenocarcinoma may originate from the endocervix or endometrium, and its corresponding non-specific abnormal glandular cells (AGC) require further colposcopy or endometrial biopsy.
Thyroid cytopathology report
Another area of application for the Bethesda system is thyroid cytopathology reporting. Thyroid pathology reports can be divided into six categories based on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) results, and each category will impact diagnosis and follow-up plans.
For example, for a Category 1 report, the doctor will recommend a repeat FNAC, while Category 6 requires an almost complete thyroidectomy.
Conclusion
Reporting of abnormal cells is not only a need in the medical community, but also affects the health and quality of life of many women. Effective detection and follow-up treatment can effectively reduce the incidence of cancer and save countless lives. However, in the face of the growing number of abnormal detection cases, the medical community still needs to continuously improve its ability to identify different lesions. As medical technology advances, will this system introduce more innovations to enhance its accuracy in the future?
