Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

A practical guide covering the natural history of cervical cancer, the principles of HPV testing and different HPV tests for screening, steps for the collection of specimens for HPV testing, interpretation of the test results, and management of screen-positive women, including women living with HIV.

The objectives of this atlas are to describe the use of VIA as a primary screening test or a test to triage HPV-positive women, and to explain how application of dilute acetic acid can help in determining eligibility for ablative treatment. Although these contexts and settings may be different, most of the principles, steps, and interpretations remain the same in the three different scenarios that necessitate examining the cervix after application of dilute acetic acid.

The atlas deals with the basics and then guides the learner through the intricacies of detecting the changes, differentiating neoplastic from the non-neoplastic conditions and documenting the findings. It illustrates the use of the colposcopy terminology recently adopted by the International Federation of Cervical Pathology & Colposcopy (IFCPC) and also the Swede system of scoring.

This manual serves as a useful handbook for acquiring the necessary skills for the visual recognition and interpretation of colposcopic findings and for developing the personal and professional attributes required for competence in colposcopy.