Improving cervical cancer classification in PAP smear images with enhanced segmentation and deep progressive learning‐based techniques

Abstract Objective Cervical cancer, a prevalent and deadly disease among women, comes second only to breast cancer, with over 700 daily deaths. The Pap smear test is a widely utilized screening method for detecting cervical cancer in its early stages. However, this manual screening process is prone to a high rate of false‐positive outcomes because of human errors. Researchers are using machine learning and deep learning in computer‐aided diagnostic tools to address this issue. These tools automatically analyze and sort cervical cytology and colposcopy images, improving the precision of identifying various stages of cervical cancer. Methodology This article uses state‐of‐the‐art deep learning methods, such as ResNet‐50 for categorizing cervical cancer cells to assist medical professionals. The method includes three key steps: preprocessing, segmentation using k‐means clustering, and classifying cancer cells. The model is assessed based on performance metrics viz; precision, accuracy, kappa score, precision, sensitivity, and specificity. In the end, the high success rate shows that the ResNet50 model is a valuable tool for timely detection of cervical cancer. Outputs In conclusion, the infected cervical region is pinpointed using spatial K‐means clustering and preprocessing operations. This sequence of actions is followed by a progressive learning technique. The Progressive Learning technique then proceeded through several stages: Stage 1 with 64 × 64 images, Stage 2 with 224 × 224 images, Stage 3 with 512 × 512 images, and the final Stage 4 with 1024 × 1024 images. The outcomes show that the suggested model is effective for analyzing Pap smear tests, achieving 97.4% accuracy and approx. 98% kappa score.