The Spanish National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) has recently accredited the Spanish Society of Cytology (SEC) Quality Programme in gynaecological cytology, qPAP, morphological for cytological diagnosis and qPAP molecular for HPV determination, both for cervical cancer screening.

This programme has been developed over the last seven years by the SEC to establish intercomparison programmes and, since its inception, has benefited from the collaboration of Dr Francesc Tresserra and Miriam Castellà, head of the laboratory and cytotechnologist, respectively, at the Dexeus Mujer Cytology Laboratory. Our collaboration focuses on programme design and sample management.

The accreditation it has been granted – ISO 17043 – makes it the only one in the European Union (EU) that currently has official institutional endorsement to accredit other cytology laboratories in Spain or other countries, as its scope is international.