IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 48 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog.2021.01.2209
Open Access Original Research
Is visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) a useful method of finding pre-invasive cervical cancer?
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1 Gynecology-Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1983963113 Tehran, Iran
2 Preventative Gynecology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1983963113 Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Developmental Biology, Science and Research University of Tehran, 1417466191 Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Biostatistics, Tarbiat Modares University, 14117-13116 Tehran, Iran
5 Obstetrics & Gynecology, Arak University of Medical Sciences, 38156879 Arak, Iran
6 Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Imam Hossein Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, 1983963113 Tehran, Iran
7 Developmental biology, Science and Research University of Tehran, 1417466191 Tehran, Iran
*Correspondence: drmarab@sbmu.ac.ir (Maliheh Arab)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2021, 48(1), 128–131; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog.2021.01.2209
Submitted: 4 July 2020 | Revised: 15 October 2020 | Accepted: 16 November 2020 | Published: 15 February 2021
Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Abstract

Purpose of investigation: The prospects for effective cytological screening in the majority of developing countries are limited. This study evaluated visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for the diagnosis of CIN 2-3 in case findings. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, 1437 asymptomatic women were screened using VIA followed by colposcopy-biopsy of all cases. The predictive efficacy of VIA was determined based on pathological confirmation of CIN 2-3 on colposcopy-directed biopsy. Results: In 388 (27%) out of 1437 cases, the VIA was positive. In 31 (2.1%) cases, CIN 2-3 was confirmed on cervical biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) of the VIA were 41.9%, 73.3%, and 98.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The present study confirmed the value of VIA for screening, with sensitivity of 41.9% and NPV of 98.2%. Future studies should determine the best place for VIA testing alongside other types of testing in screening algorithms.

Keywords
Screening
Cervical cancer
Cervical dysplasia
Colposcopy
Visual inspection with acetic acid
Iran
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