Helen C. Ettler

Hysteroscopic Endomyometrial Resection of Three Uterine Sarcomas

STUDY OBJECTIVE To describe our experience with three uterine sarcomas associated with hysteroscopic endometrial ablation. DESIGN Cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING University-affiliated teaching hospitals. PATIENTS Three of 2402 women undergoing hysteroscopic endometrial ablation who had uterine sarcomas. INTERVENTION Hysteroscopic endomyometrial resection. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS One low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma and two carcinosarcomas were resected. After hysterectomy in two patients, no residual cancer was identified in one of them. The third patient was an 82-year-old woman with moderate menorrhagia who refused hysterectomy. After endomyometrial resection she remained amenorrheic for the last 14 months of her life. CONCLUSION From our experience the incidence of uterine sarcomas is approximately 1/800 women undergoing hysteroscopic ablation for abnormal uterine bleeding. Complete endomyometrial resection is feasible and may be offered as diagnostic and palliative therapy in women at high risk for hysterectomy.

Should preoperative pathology be used to select patients for surgical staging in endometrial cancer

Introduction: The decision to offer surgical staging in endometrial cancer is often based on preoperative histology and grade from endometrial biopsy or dilatation and curettage. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the concordance between preoperative and final pathology from a population-based study of endometrial cancer to address whether preoperative biopsy is a reliable determinant in selecting patients for surgical staging. Methods: Retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada, from 1996 to 2000. The study included all women with a preoperative diagnosis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma on endometrial biopsy or dilatation and curettage, followed by definitive surgery. All other histological types were excluded. Surgical staging rates were compared according to preoperative pathology. Primary outcome measure was the concordance between preoperative and final pathology, expressed as a Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ). A multivariable logistic regression estimated the effects of demographic variables and grade on our outcome measure. Results: There were 1804 evaluable cases in this study. For preoperative grades 1, 2, and 3 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, surgical staging rates were 9.1%, 13.7%, and 25.6%, respectively. Concordance rates with final pathology were 73%, 52%, and 53%, respectively. There was only moderate concordance between preoperative and final pathology (ρ = 0.52). There was no significant difference in concordance rates according to age, year, or hospital volume, but lower concordance rates among teaching hospitals. Conclusion: Preoperative biopsy has only a moderate ability to predict final pathology in endometrial cancer, and therefore, additional factors should be considered in selecting patients for a surgical staging procedure.

Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance: A cytohistological study in a colposcopy clinic.

Cytohistologic correlation was performed by 3 observers on 100 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) cases from a colposcopy clinic. Our objectives were to: 1) subclassify ASCUS cases and determine their clinical significance; 2) assess the independent predictive value of different cytologic parameters for biopsy‐proven dysplasia (BPD); and 3) calculate interobserver variability. The prevalence of BPD was 73% in the ASCUS favor dysplasia (AFD) group, and 27% in the ASCUS favor reactive (AFR) group (P  0.001). The sensitivity of cervical cytology (AFD) for detecting BPD was 88.5%. Using multiple logistic regression, only nuclear membrane irregularity was found to be independently predictive of BPD (P  0.0001). The interobserver agreement (kappa) was 0.41. Colposcopic smears were inferior to referring smears in detecting dysplasia, with 67% of patients having a referring diagnosis of dysplasia. In a colposcopy clinic population there is a high prevalence (73%) of BPD in the AFD group. Attention should be paid to nuclear membrane irregularity in the risk stratification of ASCUS cases. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;21:211–216.

Resectoscopic Surgery in 10 Women with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of the resectoscope in the diagnosis and treatment of women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia. DESIGN Retrospective case series (Canadian Task Force classification III-3). SETTING University-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENTS Ten women. Intervention. Hysteroscopic evaluation after preoperative endometrial biopsy indicated simple hyperplasia without atypia, complex hyperplasia with atypia, or inadequate specimen. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Atypical hyperplasia was confirmed in eight patients after total endomyometrial resection. Hysterectomy was offered to all patients but accepted by only two: one for bilateral ovarian serous cystadenomas and the second for a granulosa cell ovarian tumor. No residual endometrium was found in hysterectomy specimens. Seven women were amenorrheic and well 1 to 9 years after resection. An additional patient with amenorrhea died from colon cancer 2 years after resection. CONCLUSION Resectoscopic surgery confirmed or detected atypical endometrial hyperplasia in eight women and excluded it in two patients with AUB and a previous diagnosis of simple hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, or inadequate specimen. Skillful resectoscopic surgery may be an alternative to hysterectomy in selected patients with atypical hyperplasia who are compliant with regular and long-term follow-up.

Endometrial adenocarcinoma encountered at the time of hysteroscopic endometrial ablation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic accuracy and possible role of treatment of hysteroscopic endometrial resection in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) diagnosed with endometrial adenocarcinoma. DESIGN Retrospective analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING University-affiliated center. PATIENTS Thirteen women with AUB and eight with postmenopausal bleeding. INTERVENTION Preablation endometrial office biopsy and hysteroscopic evaluation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Preablation endometrial biopsy was inadequate, inconclusive, or difficult to obtain in these women, and endometrial cancer was found at the time of resectoscopic surgery. Total endomyometrial resection including the tubal ostia was completed in eight women (group 1) and partial resection in five (group 2). Endometrial adenocarcinoma was confirmed histologically in all patients. A small focus of cancer was found in only two women in group 1 after total resection; in one the procedure was performed 9 years earlier and in the other it was completed hastily after absorption of 800 ml of 1.5% glycine irrigation solution. In women in group 2 malignancy was highly suspected and total resection was considered unwise. CONCLUSION All patients were alive and well 0.5 to 9 years after hysterectomy, with no evidence of recurrent cancer.

Miscellaneous Uterine Malignant Neoplasms Detected during Hysteroscopic Surgery

STUDY OBJECTIVES To estimate the incidence of incidental miscellaneous uterine malignant neoplasms other than endometrioid adenocarcinoma detected during routine resectoscopic surgery in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and to examine the effect of hysteroscopic surgery on long-term clinical outcome. DESIGN Prospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). SETTING University-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENTS Women with AUB. INTERVENTION From January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2008, one of the authors (G.A.V.) and several fellows performed primary hysteroscopic surgery at St. Josephs Health Care in 3892 women with AUB. Of the 7 with malignant disease, one underwent hysteroscopic partial (n = 1) or complete (n = 6) rollerball electrocoagulation or endomyometrial resection. After diagnosis of uterine cancer, the women were counseled about the disease and management in accord with established clinical practice guidelines. Follow-up with office visits and telephone interviews ranged from 2 to 8 years (median, 6 years). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Of the 3892 women, 4 had undiagnosed and 3 had suspected miscellaneous uterine malignant neoplasms including 1 endometrial stromal sarcoma, 2 carcinosarcomas, 2 atypical polypoid adenomyomas of the endometrium, 1 minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of the cervix, and 1 smooth-muscle tumor of uncertain malignant potential. At 2 to 8 years of follow-up, 1 patient died accidentally after 1 year, 1 died of carcinomatosis of either coexisting breast cancer or a carcinosarcoma (postmortem examination was declined) after 1 year, and 5 were alive and well. CONCLUSION Resectoscopic surgery in women with miscellaneous uterine malignant lesions not adversely affect 5-year survival and long-term prognosis.

When Is a Pathology Review Indicated in Endometrial Cancer

OBJECTIVE: Discrepancies may exist between an original pathology report and formal pathology review, with subsequent implications for treatment. We conducted a study of pathology review in endometrial cancer from a population-based study to identify areas of discrepancy and effect on treatment. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada from 1996 to 2000. We identified hysterectomy cases from patients with endometrial cancer that were subject to formal pathology review by a gynecologic pathologist at one of six tertiary care centers. Sarcomas and other rare histologic subtypes with fewer than five cases were excluded. We evaluated discrepancy between original pathology and review by demographics, stage, grade, and risk group. Four risk groups were defined: 1) low (stage I), 2) intermediate (stage I and II), 3) high-risk (stage I and II), and 4) advanced stage (all stage III and IV). Reclassification from one risk group to another upon pathology review represented a potential change in treatment. Factors associated with significant discrepancy were identified by a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Formal pathology review was available on 450 cases. There were no differences by age, year, or hospital type. The overall discrepancy rate was 42.7% (95% confidence interval 38.2–47.3%). The intermediate-risk group had the highest rate of reclassification into another group (33.1%). The most significant rates of discrepancy were associated with endometrioid grades 2 and 3 tumors and stage IIA disease (39.8%, 50.9%, and 79.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: There was significant discrepancy between original pathology and formal review in endometrial cancer, with implications for guidelines on pathology review at a population level. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

Atypical polypoid adenomyoma and hysteroscopic endometrial ablation.

A 49-year-old woman presenting with menometrorrhagia underwent an office endometrial biopsy that indicated features suspicious for atypical polypoid adenomyoma (APA) but was inconclusive. The woman requested further evaluation prior to consenting to a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Hysteroscopy demonstrated a fleshy 2 cm to 3 cm sessile polypoid tumour, which was resected with the entire endometrium. The histology confirmed APA. Although amenorrhea was achieved, the gynaecological oncologist recommended the woman undergo hysterectomy, which she did 4 months later. Pathologic examination of the uterus revealed no residual endometrium or APA. As this tumour generally occurs in premenopausal women, and as conserving fertility potential may be an important consideration, hysteroscopic resection of such tumours may be a therapeutic option in women who wish to retain their uterus or who would be at high medical risk for hysterectomy. However, close, intermittent postoperative surveillance is recommended.

Resectoscopic surgery in women with abnormal uterine bleeding and nonatypical endometrial hyperplasia

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of resectoscopic surgery in the diagnosis and treatment of women with abnormal uterine bleeding and endometrial hyperplasia without atypia. DESIGN Retrospective analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING University-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-five women with simple and seven with complex hyperplasia. INTERVENTION Hysteroscopic endometrial ablation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In patients with simple hyperplasia, average age, parity, body mass index, and mean arterial pressure were 53.2 years, 2.4 pregnancies, 30 kg/m2, and 99.5 mm Hg, respectively; in those with complex hyperplasia corresponding figures were 48 years, 2 pregnancies, 36 kg/m2, and 100 mm Hg. Nineteen of 32 women had postmenopausal bleeding, 9 of whom were taking combined hormone replacement therapy. Two had subsequent hysterectomies, one for pain and the other for incomplete resection due to an enlarged uterus. Resection could not be completed in one morbidly obese woman. One patient died from heart disease. During the follow-up of 1 to 8 years (mean 4 yrs) all patients remained amenorrheic with no evidence of recurrent disease or progression to cancer. CONCLUSION Resectoscopic surgery by experienced hysteroscopists may be effective therapy for endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, especially in women at high risk for medical therapy or hysterectomy. Patient surveillance is mandatory for early detection and management of recurrent disease and progression to cancer.

Combined Transurethral and Laparoscopic Partial Cystectomy and Robotically Assisted Bladder Repair for the Treatment of Bladder Endocervicosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND Endocervicosis, endosalpingiosis, endometriosis, and adenomyosis represent choristomas of Mullerian origin and are referred to as mullerianosis. These conditions frequently coexist, and they may present with pelvic pain, mass lesions, and/or infertility. Clinically, they are indistinguishable from one another, and histologically their epithelium is that of the endocervix, endosalpinx, or endometrium. Endocervicosis can be found in the urinary tract, frequently presenting as a bladder lesion or bladder dysfunction. CASE We report here a case of bladder endocervicosis in a woman with extensive endometriosis and a bladder tumour who presented with chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Pelvic endometriosis was excised and vaporized with the CO2 laser, and the bladder lesion was excised in a combined transurethral and laparoscopic approach using the CO2 laser and robotic monopolar electrosurgical scissors. The cystotomy was then repaired using the robot, and the patient had an uneventful recovery with good clinical outcomes including spontaneous conception. CONCLUSION Endocervicosis of the urinary bladder is a rare Mullerian choristoma. Symptomatic lesions can be removed surgically by various surgical techniques, and a collaborative team-based approach is in the patients best interest.