Cytological characteristics of premalignant cervical epithelial lesions in postmenopausal women based on endocrine indices and parakeratosis.

Objective: To identify useful cytological findings for detecting premalignant lesions in postmenopausal women, cervicovaginal smear samples were analyzed and compared between women with or without premalignant lesions based on endocrine indices and presence of parakeratosis (PK).

Methods: The cervicovaginal smear samples of postmenopausal women with premalignant lesions (n = 94) and those who were without (n = 344), who were diagnosed between 2012 and 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. Women cytologically diagnosed with malignancy or those with suspicion of malignancy were excluded from this study.