Morphologic analysis of hyperchromatic crowded cell groups in liquid-based uterine cervical cytology

Objective

Hyperchromatic crowded cell groups (HCCG) are defined as piled-up aggregates of crowded cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, and are frequently observed in cervicovaginal liquid-based cytology. They may rarely be associated with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), and this challenge has hindered interpretation. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the cytomorphological characteristics of HCCG derived from HSIL.