UK region nears 100% LBC screening
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
285,000 (75%) of the 380,000 screens performed annually in the UK's West Midlands region of the NHS use liquid-based cytology (LBC). So said Hologic this week, reporting that nine of the region's 13 screening programmes have now converted from traditional Pap smear screening to LBC ThinPrep Pap Test, developed by Cytyc. "Substantial parts" of another two regions have also converted. The 13 programmes operate through 11 laboratories. All UK women aged 25-64 years are routinely invited for screening once every three years up to the age of 50, and then every five years. Cytyc became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hologic in October 2007, in a $6.2bn merger (see Clinica No 1279, p 15).