Anal Cytology Screening Detects HIV-Positive Men

Abnormal anal cytology was highly predictive of anal cell abnormalities that were subsequently confirmed by anal biopsy.
HIV-positive men who have sex with other men are up to 90 times more likely than the general population to develop anal cancer. Detection of precancerous changes (anal dysplasia) by anal cytology--essentially an anal canal Pap smear--is a relatively new procedure and one that has yet to enter standard practice.

A University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA; Los Angeles, CA, USA) study demonstrated that abnormal anal cytology was highly predictive of anal cell abnormalities that were subsequently confirmed by anal biopsy. The study was based on data from 244 patients at the University of California Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education (CARE) clinic who had anal cytology screenings between February 2002 and December 2004. The study appeared in the February 2007 issue of the International Journal of STD and AIDS (Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS)
Abnormal anal cytology in HIV-positive men who have sex with men is highly indicative of the presence of abnormal anal cells that may be precancerous and should prompt further investigation.

The UCLA CARE Center is one of a handful of clinics in the United States offering an anal dysplasia screening and management service.


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