How to harmonize cervical cytology terminology throughout Europe

A. Herbert*, C. Bergeron,  H. Wiener, U. Schenck§, P. Klinkhamer¶, J. Bulten** and M. Arbyn

* Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK,
Laboratoire Pasteur Cerba, Cergy Pontoise, France,
Institute of Clinical Pathology, University Vienna, Vienna, Austria,
§ Institute of Pathology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany,
¶ PAMM, Eindhoven, The Netherlands,
** Institute of Pathology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands and Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium

Poster presented in Madrid

Article published in Cytopathology (2007; 18:213-19)  

There are many different systems of cytology classification used in the member states of the European Union (EU) and many different languages.

The short annexe to Chapter 3 of the European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Cervical Cancer Screening provides a framework that will allow different terminologies and languages to be translated into standard terminology based on the Bethesda system (TBS) for cytology while retaining the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) classification for histology.

This approach has followed extensive consultation with representatives of many countries and professional groups as well as a discussion forum published in Cytopathology (2005;16:113).