Matters cytological: the annual BAC scientific meeting

Last year’s annual scientific meeting of the British Association for Cytopathology (BAC) took place on 9–11 October in Birmingham. The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which offered excellent conference facilities and also gave delegates the opportunity to stay at the hotel and avoid having to endure any potential wet English weather. The conference attracted approximately 200 delegates from the UK and overseas.A great start as always to the conference is the opening of the all-importanttrade, which was performed by IBMS President Nick Kirk. An opportunity followed for colleagues and old friends to catch up over drinks and canapés, while browsing the commercial stands and of course picking up a few pens and pencils along the way!

Address of welcome
Saturday morning was busy with the arrival of delegates for the first full day of the scientific programme. Dr Karin Denton gave her final President’s address, outlining her thoughts on the future of cytology, with reference to human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cytology and also the growing enthusiasm and repertoire in non-gynaecological cytology. The BAC also showed its appreciation for the ongoing support of the trade by providing an opportunity for a representative from each of the sponsoring companies to give a short summary to delegates about their products and an invitation to visit their stands. The two-day scientific programme provided a variety of informative lectures covering both gynaecological and non-gynaecological cytology.

Cervical cytology
Current issues in cervical cytology featured highly in the programme of events.These includeddata on test-of-cure outcomes, trials and tribulations of implementing HPV primary screening, vaccination uptake and the resulting drop in rates of CIN already seen in Scotland.The potential benefits of using molecular markers to improve sensitivity and specificity for detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was also covered. Screening pitfallsleading to missed cervical cancers, and the potential medicolegal issues that could follow were highlighted, providing a stark reminder of the challenges faced in cytology. Future career developments forbiomedical science staff taking on cervical histopathology reporting and the importance of correct diagnosis of some gynaecological cancers in order to ensure correct treatments were discussed.