TCT normal one year later cervical cancer

With the continuous development of medicine, more and more diseases can be detected as early as possible through instrument examination. Cervical cancer is a common cancer and women often undergo gynecological examinations. Of course, women must protect their own health and need to pay attention to personal hygiene. TCT is a project that can detect cervical cancer in advance, but what if cervical cancer occurs one year after TCT is normal?

TCT is cervical cytology test, simply called TCT. Some patients think that their TCT is normal, but they are diagnosed with cervical cancer one year later. In fact, after analysis, it was found that high-risk HPV infection was detected in the cervical tissue of these patients, which indicates that even if the cervical cytology examination is normal, viral testing and HPV testing are still required.

The newly revised HPV screening guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that anyone who has had sexual intercourse for more than three years and any woman who has had sexual intercourse over the age of 21 should undergo HPV testing at least once a year in order to achieve early detection and timely treatment. Currently, combined screening of cervical cytology (TCT) and HPV is generally used in clinical practice. Therefore, even if TCT is normal, if HPV, such as types 16 and 18, is positive, a biopsy must be performed under a colposcopy to take pathological examinations to exclude cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. Therefore, TCT testing alone is not enough and HPV testing must be added. Therefore, combined screening of TCT and HPV is now carried out.

TCT is a thin-layer liquid-based cytology test, which uses a cell brush to collect epidermal cells shed from the cervical canal and external cervical os. Cervical cancer is divided into two types: endogenous and exogenous. Generally, exogenous cervical cancer can be detected during gynecological examinations and TCT. If it is endogenous cervical cancer, it often grows more hidden, the surface of the cervix is ​​generally smooth, and there is no contact bleeding. There is no way to brush out cancer cells during TCT examination. The only way to make a clear diagnosis is by deep tissue biopsy or cervical cone biopsy. Endogenous cervical cancer is often easily missed or misdiagnosed.

Therefore, a normal TCT test does not mean that there is no cervical cancer. HPV test is also needed. If the HPV test indicates that high-risk HPV is positive, it is recommended to do a direct biopsy, which is more reliable.