Negative histology in cervical specimens obtained with the "see and treat" method among women at a referral center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Background: According to the Brazilian Guidelines on Cervical Cancer Screening, women with cytopathologic diagnosis of high-grade intraepithelial lesion, abnormal colposcopic findings, fully visible squamocolumnar junction and age 25 years or older should be treated at the first visit ("see and treat-S&T"). The main limitation to this approach is the risk of overtreatment, identified by histology without preinvasive lesion. The objectives of this study were to identify the overtreatment rate in women undergoing S&T in cervical cancer prevention at a referral center with extensive experience with the method and to detect possible factors associated with this rate.