Room for Improvement: Initial Experience With Anal Cytology Observations From the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Nongynecologic Cytology

Context.—Anal cytology is being used more frequently for anal cancer screening, yet many cytologists are unfamiliar with it. Objective.—To describe the performance of anal cytology in the College of American Pathologists' Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Non-Gynecologic Cytology (CAP NGC) educational slide program during a 6-year time span, from 2006 to 2011, using participant responses (pathologist, cytotechnologist, and laboratory). Design.—Concordance rates for the target diagnosis and general category for each slide challenge were analyzed. Four main factors were included in the analysis: (1) general category or specific responses, (2) program year from 2006 to 2011, (3) participant type (pathologist, cytotechnologist, or overall laboratory), and (4) preparation type (liquid-based or conventional). Results.—Participants most frequently correctly classified negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and herpes simplex virus infection, with concord...