Guidance on the use of liquid-based cytology for cervical screening

It is recommended that high-quality studies be undertaken to compare differences in performance between the ThinPrep and SurePath LBC methods.

Validation is needed of the number of cells per LBC sample that will be required to establish the adequacy of smears.

For further reviews of LBC, clinical data relating to the sensitivity, specificity and rate of inadequate smears should be provided for EasyPrep, Cytoscreen and any future devices.

Evaluation of automated technologies for the analysis of cervical samples is needed.