Endocervical columnar cell atypia coincident with cervical neoplasia characterized by digital image analysis

In the course of classifying uterine cervical epithelial cells for digital image analysis, certain changes in endocervical cells were observed. These changes coincided with the processes ongoing in the squamous or metaplastic epithelium. Specifically, in severe dysplasias or carcinomas in situ (CIS), the endocervical nuclei reflected some of the same cytologic changes observed in the dysplastic or CIS squamous cell and yet definitely retained their columnar shape and cytoplasmic quality. This paper deals with the almost unexplored area of the endocervical columnar cell in the face of significant cervical neoplasia. Correlation is made between the cytologic criteria observed by the human eye with the light microscope and significant parameters measured by digital image analysis. These measurements suggest that endocervical columnar cells may participate in the dysplastic progression toward CIS.