[Anal cytology as a screening method for early detection of anal cancer: are hydrophilic cotton smears really unsatisfactory?]. / Citologia anal como método de rastreamento para a detecção precoce do cancer anal: esfregaços com algodão hidrófilo são mesmo insatisfatórios?

PURPOSE: To test the ability of analpaps performed with cotton swab smears to produce satisfactory cytologic readings as compared to traditional sampling materials. METHODS: 318 consecutive patients were examined at the Ambulatório Araújo Lima of Hospital Universitario Getúlio Vargas in the Anal Cancer Prevention Week and were sampled for the performance of analpap. 180 of these patients were randomly sorted to be sampled by either one of the following materials: cytologic brush, dacron swab or cotton swab. The ability of cotton in producing satisfactory anal cytologic readings as compared to dacron and cytologic brush was analised. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference among the materials employed in the ability to produce satisfactory citological readings in analpaps. (p > 0.05) CONCLUSION: Our results showed that cotton swabs were as efficient as dacron swabs or cytologic brushes in the ability to produce satisfactory analpap readings.