Mild Cervical Dysplasia

It is quite possible that an abnormal result of Pap smear is related to the presence of mild cervical dysplasia. Generally, dysplasia of the cervix is diagnosed if there are some abnormal cells in the squamous epithelium. This disease is divided into mild, moderate or severe dysplasia, depending on the quantity and particular features of altered cells. It is not uncommon that women with cervical dysplasia have no external signs, and they do not know that they are developing the disease.

In the majority of cases cervical abnormal changes are linked to viral infections. Very often pathological transformations in the cells are caused by Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). As for Human Papilloma Virus infection, if it is located in the genital area it can trigger two kinds of lesions: condylomas (genital warts) and precancerous cellular changes, including mild cervical dysplasia. Cervical dysplasia is more dangerous than condylomas for since it is much more likely to degenerate into malignancy.

In case abnormal cells are confined to one third of the epithelial layer the diagnosis is mild cervical dysplasia. When cellular abnormalities affect one half or two thirds of the epithelial layer, it is moderate cervical dysplasia. If more epithelial cells are changed the condition is diagnosed as severe cervical dysplasia. When abnormal cellular changes spread beyond the epithelium of the cervix, the condition is determined as invasive cervical cancer.

If woman is diagnosed with mild cervical dysplasia, it is not a very serious problem since mild dysplasia regresses by itself in many cases. However, a close medical surveillance including regular Pap smears is necessary in order to prevent progression of mild dysplasia to more advanced stages. Moderate and severe cervical lesions are less likely to regress and it is usually recommended for women having these stages of dysplasia to remove lesions with a surgery.

It is very important to determine which women with dysplasia are at the greatest risk of cervical cancer. And it has been shown that about 95% cases of cervical cancer are associated with human papilloma virus infection. For this reason, patients with mild cervical dysplasia should undergo HPV testing which helps to evaluate the risk for cancer and define an optimal management.