Who performs gynecological cytology and how?

Abstract

Since 1971 German women aged 20 years and older can annually participate in the gynecological cancer screening program free of charge. As part of this program a cervical smear is taken for testing. The Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, GBA) is planning to change this system so that women aged over 30 years can either choose to continue with annual cytological screening using a cervical smear or can primarily opt for a human papillomavirus (HPV) test every 5 years. Women who are HPV positive will receive a supplementary cytological examination as a triage method. In Germany classification of the cytological results is based on the third revision of the Munich nomenclature (Münchner Nomenklatur, MN III), which has been in operation since 1 January 2015. The number of accredited cytology institutions and of cytologists has changed considerably since 2008. There has been a marked increase in the number of pathologists by 28.4%, which is a promising trend. The number of tests carried out has remained relatively constant; however, an increasing number of tests are now being performed in large laboratories.