Yenrudee Poomtavorn

Diagnostic value of endocervical curettage for detecting dysplastic lesions in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Papanicolaou smears.

BACKGROUND To determine the frequency of dysplastic lesions in the endocervical curettage (ECC) specimens of women with ASC-US and LSIL Pap and to evaluate the possible factors associated with high grade dysplasia in those ECC specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred and sixty patients with ASC-US and LSIL cytologic smears who underwent an ECC at the time of colposcopic examination during January 2010 and December 2012 were reviewed. Demographic and clinicopathologic data were collected. Multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression was used to identify factors that might be associated with high grade endocervical dysplasia. RESULTS The frequency of endocervical dysplasia was 7.7% (20 out of 260 patients). Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 and CIN 2-3 lesions in the endocervical canal were observed in 12 and 8 patients, respectively. No microinvasive or invasive cervical cancers were identified. There was no difference in the frequency of high grade endocervical dysplasia between the patients with satisfactory and unsatisfactory colposcopic examinations (1.4% vs 5.1%, respectively, p=0.087). A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between high grade CIN on ectocervical biopsy as well as LSIL cytologic smears and high grade dysplasia in endocervical canal (OR=0.046, 95%CI=0.007-0.288; p=0.001 and OR=0.154, 95%CI=0.025-0.942; p=0.043, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The frequency of high grade endocervical dysplasia in women with ASC-US and LSIL cytologic smears was low. Therefore, routine performance of ECC in those women is debatable. High grade ectocervical dysplasia and LSIL cytologic smears may be used as predictors for high grade dysplasia in endocervical canal and ECC in these patients is reasonable.

Cytohistologic Discrepancy of High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions in Papanicolaou Smears

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the frequency of cytohistologic discrepancy of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) in Pap smears and associated factors. METHODS Medical records of 223 women with HSIL Pap smears who were treated at Thammasat University Hospital were reviewed. Data on age, parity, menopausal status, contraceptive use and colposcopic directed biopsy and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) pathology results were recorded. RESULTS Mean (SD) age of patients was 38.0 (9.4) years. The majority were premenopausal (86.5%) and multiparous (83.9%). Cytohistologic discrepancy between the Pap test and colposcopic-directed biopsy histology was 45.7% and that between the Pap test and LEEP histology was 29.5%. Fifty-four (24.2%) women had no high-grade CIN on both colposcopic directed biopsy and LEEP. Nulliparity, postmenopausal status and having no oral contraceptive pills use were factors associated with cytohistologic discrepancy. CONCLUSION The exact cytohistologic discrepancy rate was relatively high (24.2%). Factors associated with cytohistologic discrepancy were nulliparity and postmenopausal status and having no oral contraceptive pill use.

Accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid in detecting high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in pre- and post-menopausal Thai women with minor cervical cytological abnormalities.

PURPOSE To determine the accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in detecting high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in pre- and post-menopausal women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred women (150 pre-menopausal and 50 post-menopausal) with ASC- US and LSIL cytology who attended the colposcopy clinic, Thammasat University Hospital, between March 2013 and August 2014 were included. All women underwent VIA testing and colposcopy by gynecologic oncologists. Diagnostic values of VIA testing including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for detecting high-grade CIN were determined using the histopathology obtained from colposcopic-directed biopsy as a gold standard. RESULTS VIA testing was positive in 54/150 (36%) pre-menopausal women and 5/50 (10%) post-menopausal women. Out of 54 pre-menopausal women with positive VIA testing, 15 (27.8%) had high-grade CIN and 39 (72.2%) had either CIN 1 or insignificant pathology. Ten (10.4%), 43 (44.8%) and 43 (44.8%) out of the remaining 96 pre-menopausal women with negative VIA testing had high- grade CIN, CIN 1 and insignificant pathology, respectively. Out of 5 post-menopausal women with positive VIA testing, there were 4 (80%) women with high-grade CIN, and 1 (20%) women with insignificant pathology. Out of 45 VIA-negative post-menopausal women, 42 (93.3%) women had CIN 1 and insignificant pathology, and 3 (6.7%) had high-grade CIN. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the VIA testing were 59.4%, 76.2%, 32.2% and 90.8%, respectively (60%, 68.8%, 27.8% and 89.6% in pre-menopausal women and 57.1%, 97.7%, 80% and 93.3% in post-menopausal women). CONCLUSIONS VIA testing may be used as a screening tool for detecting high-grade CIN in women with minor cervical cytological abnormalities in a low-resource setting in order to lower the rate of colposcopy referral.

Incidental finding of abnormal cervical pathology in hysterectomy specimens after normal preoperative Papanicolaou smears in Thammasat University Hospital.

BACKGROUND To investigate abnormal cervical histopathology (ACH) from hysterectomy specimens with normal preoperative Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical records from May 2009 to April 2012 were retrospectively reviewed of subjects from whom hysterectomy specimens were taken in Thammasat University Hospital. All had normal preoperative Pap smears. ACH was the primary outcome. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 483 subjects with an average age of 50.5 years were recruited. Benign cases of enlarged uterus and pelvic mass were present in 94% (430/483). Endometrial and ovarian cancer were found at 6.2 and 4.7%, respectively. In hysterectomy specimens there were 19 (4%) cases of ACH. Silent ACH with benign disease, endometrial and ovarian cancers were 1.2% (5/430), 33.3% (10/30) and 17.4% (4/23), respectively. The negative predictive value (NPV) and false negative rate of Pap smears were 96 and 4%, respectively. ACH in malignant cases were 27.9% (12/43) and 20% (2/10) in adequate (APS) and inadequate (IPS) Pap collection groups, respectively. ACH in benign condition were 0.68% (2/292) and 2.2% (3/138) in APS and IPS, respectively. ACH was more often found in hysterectomy specimens with indication of malignancy than benign conditions with statistical significance. One third of preoperative stage I endometrial cancer cases had cervical involvement. CONCLUSIONS Silent ACH in normal preoperative Pap smear was 4 %. Inadequate Pap smear collection is still the major problem in this study. Reducing inadequate Pap smear collection could reduce the false negative rate.