CONNOTATION OF MICRONUCLEUS AS A BIOMARKER IN CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL LESIONS AND CARCINOMA

Introduction: The Pap smears study is the most rampant and cost-effective method for cervical cancer screening. The role of micronuclei in exfoliated cells of pap smears is the greater beneficial tool used in the screening of cervical cancers. They are intracytoplasmic inclusions made up of chromatin fragments that suggest instability in the chromosomes and they are found in great numbers in carcinogen-exposed tissues long before any clinical signs occur.

Aims: To evaluate the predominance of Micronuclei as a biomarker in various premalignant and malignant lesions of cervixand to explore the association between various grades of cervical lesions and micronuclei frequency.

Materials &Methods:A prospective study was done in the cytopathology section on 250 cervical pap smears collected in the Pathology laboratoryRajarajeswari medical college, Bangalore. The study period was from January 2021 to June 2021. Slides containing the cell material were stained with Papanicolaou stain, The results were analyzed as per the Micronuclei Scoring done per 1000 exfoliated squamous cells under light microscopy

Results: In this study of 250 cervical pap smear screening, there was a stepwise gradual increase in micronuclei count(MN score)from Inflammatory lesions to carcinoma cervix. Inflammatory 2.04 ± 0.43, Atypicalsquamous cells of undetermined significance 3.9 ± 1.73, Atypical squamous cells - High grade5.64 ±1.83,Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion 7.68 ±1.48, High grade squamous intraepithelial lesion08 12.32 ± 2.68and Intraepithelial Carcinoma 18.60 ± 2.83.

Conclusion: MN scoring on cervix squamous epithelial cells is a simple and reliable objective test that may be performed on routine Pap-stained smears and can be used as adjunctive to the screening of cervical cancers and provide a potential pathway for disease monitoring in the future.