Prospective and retrospective review of gynecologic cytopathology: findings from the College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference working group 2.

Context: Two quality metrics for gynecologic cytology are the subject of this review: "prospective rescreening" and "retrospective rescreening."

Objective: To offer consensus best practice approaches based on the College of American Pathologists' laboratory-based survey funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Design: The College of American Pathologists submitted a paper-based survey to 1245 laboratories.

Distinguishing carcinoid tumor of the mediastinum from thymoma: correlating cytologic features and performance in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Nongynecologic Cytopathology.

Context: The cytologic features of carcinoid tumor in mediastinal fine-needle aspiration are well described. Nevertheless, this tumor may be difficult to distinguish from thymoma in this site.

Objective: We sought to correlate the cytologic features of carcinoid tumor of the mediastinum in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Nongynecologic Cytopathology with the frequency of misclassification as thymoma.

Bethesda 2001 implementation and reporting rates: 2003 practices of participants in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology.

Context: The 2001 Bethesda System for the reporting of cervical cytology specimens and the use of new liquid-based and human papillomavirus testing technologies have led to changes in cervical cytology reporting practices.

Objectives: To analyze current laboratory reporting practices using Bethesda 2001 terminology and to compare results with previous survey data from 1996.

Design: Questionnaire survey mailed to 1751 laboratories in mid-2003.

Cytologic features of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in ThinPrep Papanicolaou test slides: comparison of cases that performed poorly with those that performed well in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology.

Context: Conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) test slides of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) that are frequently misdiagnosed are known to have relatively few dysplastic cells. Whether this is true of cases of HSIL in ThinPrep Pap Test specimens is not known.

Objective: To determine if cases of HSIL in ThinPrep specimens that are frequently missed have relatively few dysplastic cells.

Cytologic features of squamous cell carcinoma in ThinPrep slides: evaluation of cases that performed poorly versus those that performed well in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Cervicovaginal Cytology.

Context: Although the cytologic features of squamous cell carcinoma in ThinPrep specimens are well known, whether these features are different in cases that are easily identified than in cases that are more difficult to identify is not known.

Objective: To determine the cytologic features of squamous cell carcinoma in ThinPrep specimens that are easy to identify versus those that are difficult.

Design: The cytologic features of 6 cases of squamous cell carcinoma that performed poorly in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program were compared with 14 cases that performed extremely well.