Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL)
When the cervical screening test shows the occurrence of LSIL, it means that the cells have mildly deteriorated. Since the progression from severe deterioration of cervical cells to cancer generally takes about 5 to 10 years, the condition rarely poses any immediate threat, so please do not worry excessively. The mildly deteriorated cervical cells may return to normal in some women.
The development of cervical cancer is a long process. The cells of the cervix gradually undergo a series of changes from normal cells to abnormal cells, to mild, moderate, then severe deterioration, and finally to cervical cancer. Apart from continual worsening of cell changes, at any time, the cell changes can also spontaneously regress to normal. However, even if the cell changes already show severe deterioration, it can still take up to 5 to 10 years before cancer finally appears.
The screening test cannot fully reflect the degree of deterioration in the cervical tissue. According to previous medical publications, out of 1000 women who are found in the preliminary screening to have mild deterioration of cervical cells, about 150 in fact have severely deteriorated cervical cells. For more accurate diagnosis, colposcopy should be performed to extract cervical tissue for further examination.
What is colposcopy?
Colposcopy refers to the examination of the vagina and cervix using a magnifying glass. The examination procedure can be performed at clinics without anaesthesia and will take about 10 minutes.
Procedures
The doctor will insert the colposcope, stain the vagina and cervix with special medicinal solution and then use the magnifying glass to identify any abnormal lesion. If abnormal lesion is found, the doctor will use an equipment to extract a small piece of the tissue and send it to the laboratory for further analysis.