Myometrial Infiltration Research Articles

Qiu's Neiyi Recipe Regulates the Inflammatory Action of Adenomyosis in Mice via the MAPK Signaling Pathway.

Background The management of adenomyosis is challenging and limiting. Qiu's Neiyi recipe (Qiu) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription clinically used for endometriosis treatment in China, but the effect and mechanism of Qiu on adenomyosis are undefined. Methods An experimental adenomyosis model was induced in female neonatal ICR mice administrated with tamoxifen. The adenomyosis mice were divided into five groups: high-, middle-, and low-Qiu's group, danazol group, and model group. The mice just administrated with the solvent only (no tamoxifen or drugs) were served as the control group. After 28 days of administration, the body, uterine, spleen, and thymus weights of all mice were examined. Then, the myometrial infiltration and the expression of inflammatory factors were detected by histology examination, ELISA, and qRT-PCR in the uterus. In addition, the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway-related protein expression in adenomyosis mice was detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, qRT-PCR, and western blotting. Results In experimental adenomyosis mice, Qiu treatment improved the symptoms of adenomyosis by reducing the myometrial infiltration and increasing the index of spleen and thymus. The elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in serum and uterus tissues of adenomyosis model mice were also decreased after Qiu treatment. The improvement of Qiu on the adenomyosis was achieved by inhibiting the activated MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, including reducing the mRNA and protein expressions of p-ERK/ERK, p-JNK/JNK, and p-p38/p38 in the uterus tissues. Conclusion Qiu alleviated the inflammatory reaction and uterus histological changes in mice with adenomyosis, and the potential mechanism is through the inhibition of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. Qiu may be a promising treatment for adenomyosis.

Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Endometrium: Evaluation of Prognostic Parameters in 27 Cases.

ObjectiveClear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the endometrium is an uncommon yet aggressive tumor. Few cohort studies are reporting the overall survival time of CCC patients. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinicopathologic features, molecular characteristics and survival data of 27 endometrial CCC patients to improve the understanding of CCC.MethodsThe clinicopathologic features, molecular characteristics and survival data total of 27 CCC patients admitted to the BBMU affiliated hospital (Anhui, China) between January 2005 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the prognosis-related factors.ResultsThe median age of the patients was 60 years (range; 39 to 81 years). The average tumor size was 3.8 cm (range; 0.8 to 13.0cm). Myometrial infiltration greater than 50% was reported in 55.6% of the patients, while the Ki-67 index greater than 50% was reported in 70.4% of the patients. The patients’ FIGO (2009) surgical stages were as follows: 18 I, 3 II, 4 III, and 2 IV. Besides, 7 (25.6%) patients had lymphovascular invasion, 3 (11.1%) patients with distant metastasis, including 1 patient with bone metastasis, and 2 with liver metastasis. Adjuvant treatment included 7 with chemotherapy alone, 9 with radiotherapy alone, and 9 with both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median overall survival time from the time of CCC diagnosis was 56 months. ER and PR showed negative expression and P16 showed patchy immunostaining. 18 (63%) cases showed Napsin A positive expression. Loss of MSH2, MSH6 and PTEN were seen in 5, 4 and 7 cases respectively. All cases showed HER-2/nue negative expression.ConclusionCCC is a rare and invasive tumor. Age of diagnosis, FIGO stage, tumor size, myometrial infiltration, lymphovascular invasion, distant metastasis, Ki-67 index and P53 expression are important indicators to evaluate patient’s prognosis (P = 0.048, P < 0.001, P = 0.016, P = 0.043, P = 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.026, and P = 0.007, respectively). CCC has a worse prognosis than endometrioid carcinoma (P = 0.002), and there is no significant difference when compared with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (P = 0.155).

Predictive Score of Nodal Involvement in Endometrial Cancer Patients: A Large Multicentre Series.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is considered the standard of care in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). For SLN failure, a side-specific lymphadenectomy is recommended. Nevertheless, most hemipelvises show no nodal involvement. The authors previously published a predictive score of lymphovascular involvement in EC. In case of a negative score (value 3-4), the risk of nodal metastases was extremely low. This multicenter study aimed to analyze a predictive score of nodal involvement in EC patients. The study enrolled patients with EC who had received comprehensive surgical staging with nodal assessment. A preoperative predictive score of nodal involvement was calculated for all the patients before surgery. The score included myometrial infiltration, tumor grading (G), tumor diameter, and Ca125 assessment. The STARD (standards for Reporting Diagnostic accuracy studies) guidelines were followed for score accuracy. The study analyzed 1038 patients and detected 155 (14.9%) nodal metastases. The score was negative (3 or 4) for 475 patients and positive (5-7) for 563 of these patients. The score had a sensitivity of 83.2%, a specificity of 50.8%, a negative predictive value of 94.5%, and a diagnostic value of 55.7%. The area under the curve was 0.75. The logistic regression showed a significant correlation between a negative score and absence of nodal metastasis (odds ration [OR], 5.133, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.30-7.98; p < 0.001). The proposed predictive score is a useful test to identify patients at low risk of nodal involvement. In case of SLN failure, the application of the current score in the SLN algorithm could allow avoidance of unnecessary lymphadenectomies.

High-grade endometrial carcinoma limited to the endometrium or a polyp: is adjuvant treatment necessary?

ObjectiveHigh-grade endometrial carcinoma limited to the endometrium or a polyp is a rare clinical entity. Currently there is no consensus on standard treatment. Thus, the goal of this study was...

Clinical Impact of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Myometrial Infiltration and Lymph-Node Metastases in Stage I Endometrial Cancer.

: Purpose: In the developed world, endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignant gynecological cancer types. Due to the highly available diagnostic modalities and patient education, the early detection of the tumor leads to high overall survival. Methods: In this study we analyzed the reliability of preoperative MRI findings in the staging of early stage endometrial cancer, as well as the clinical characteristics of patients underwent radical hysterectomy and the histopathologic evaluation of their tumor, with the retrospective data of radical hysterectomies performed in our hospital between 2010 and 2019. Results: The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative- and positive predictive value of MRI regarding stage were 94.7, 63.3, 94.8, 83.8, and 83.8%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative- and positive predictive value of MRI for the detection of the myometrial invasion were 69.8, 80.0, 60.8, 64.3, and 77.5%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative- and positive predictive value of MRI for the detection of lymph node metastases were 78.1, 28.6, 82, 11.1, and 93.6%, respectively. Conclusions: Based on our results, MRI is the method of choice in terms of evaluating overall staging, as well as myometrial invasion, as its specificity and negative predictive value are relatively high. However, systematic lymphadenectomy showed improved cancer-related survival and recurrence-free survival. Our studies showed that the diagnosis of lymph node metastases is difficult with MRI modality since hyperplastic and metastatic nodes cannot easily differentiate, leading to a high percentage of false-positive results. Therefore, other imaging modalities may be used for more accurate evaluation. New findings of our study were that the role of the radiologist’s expertise in the evaluation of MR imaging plays an essential role in lowering false-negative and false-positive results. Therefore, findings evaluated by a radiologist with high-level expertise in gynecological imaging can complement the clinical findings and help substantially define the needed treatment.

Transvaginal Ultrasound Versus Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Assessing Myometrial Infiltration in Endometrioid Low Grade Endometrial Cancer: A Prospective Study.

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing myometrial infiltration (MI) in patients with low grade endometrioid endometrial cancer. Observational prospective study performed at a single tertiary care center from 2016 to 2020, comprising 156 consecutive patients diagnosed by endometrial sampling as having an endometrioid grade 1/grade 2 endometrial cancer. TVS and MRI were performed prior to surgical staging for assessing MI, which was estimated using subjective examiner's impression and Karlsson's method for both TVS and MRI. During surgery, intraoperative assessment of MI was also performed. Definitive pathological study considered as reference standard. Diagnostic accuracy for ultrasound, MRI, and intraoperative biopsy was estimated and compared. Sensitivity and specificity of TVS for detecting deep MI were 75 and 73.5% for subjective impression and 65 and 70% for Karlsson method, respectively (P= .54). Sensitivity and specificity of MRI for detecting deep MI were 80 and 87% for subjective impression and 70 and 71.3% for Karlsson method. MRI subjective impression showed a significant better specificity than MRI Karlsson method (P= .03). MRI showed better specificity than TVS when subjective impression was considered (P <.05), but not for Karlsson method. Sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative were 75 and 97%, respectively. Intraoperative biopsy showed better specificity than ultrasound and MRI either using examiner's impression or Karlsson method (P <.05). MRI revealed a significant higher specificity than TVS when assessing deep myometrial infiltration. However, the intraoperative biopsy offers a significant better diagnostic accuracy than preoperative imaging techniques.

Substantial lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI) as predictor of distant relapse and poor prognosis in low-risk early-stage endometrial cancer.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic role of lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), evaluated in a semi-quantitative fashion on prognosis of early stage, low risk endometrial cancer (EC).MethodsWe enrolled patients who underwent surgery for endometrial cancer between 2003 and 2018 in two referral cancer center. All patients had endometrioid EC, G1–G2, with myometrial invasion <50%, and no lymph-node involvement. LVSI was analyzed in a semi-quantitative way, according to a 3-tiered scoring system in absent, focal and substantial.ResultsAmong 524 patients, any positive LVSI was found in 57 patients (10.9%) with focal LVSI (n=35, 6.7%) and substantial LVSI (n=22, 4.2%). Substantial LVSI was associated to higher rate of G2 (p<0.001), myometrial infiltration (p=0.002) and greater tumor dimensions (p=0.014). Patients with substantial LVSI were more likely to receive adjuvant treatment (6.6% vs. 52.6%, p<0.001). The 5-year OS was 99.5% in patients with absent LVSI and 70.6% in those with substantial LVSI (p<0.001). The 5-year disease free survival (DFS) was 93.6% in patients with absent LVSI and 56.5% in those with substantial LVSI (p<0.001). The rate of distant failures increased from 1.8% for absent LVSI to 22.7% for substantial LVSI (p=0.002). In univariate analysis substantial LVSI was the strongest predictor of poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]=11.9, p=0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that substantial LVSI was an independent predictive factor of both recurrence (HR=5.88, p=0.001) and distant failure (HR=10.6, p=0.006).ConclusionsSubstantial LVSI represents the strongest independent risk factor for decreased survival and distant relapse, indicating a role for potential hematogenous dissemination.

Evaluation of Pre-Therapeutic Assessment in Endometrial Cancer Staging.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective cohort study is to evaluate the concordance between the preoperative MRI and histology data with the final histopathological examination. Method: This is a retrospective observational study of 183 patients operated for endometrioid cancer between January 2009 and December 2019 in the surgical oncology department of the Lorraine Cancer Institute (ICL) in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy. The patients included are all women operated on for endometrioid-type endometrial cancer over this period. The exclusion criteria are patients for whom the pre-therapy check-up does not include pelvic MRI and those who have not had first-line surgery. The final anatomopathological results were compared with preoperative imaging data and with endometrial biopsy data. Results: For the myometrial infiltration, the sensitivity of MRI was of 37% and the specificity of 54%. To detect nodal metastases, the sensitivity of MRI was of 21% and the specificity of 93%. We observed an under estimation of the FIGO classification (p = 0.001) with the MRI in 42.7% of cases (n = 76) and an overestimation in 24.2% of cases (n = 43). There was a concordance in 33.1% of cases (n = 59). We had a poor agreement between the MRI and final histopathological examination with an adjusted kappa (κ) of 0.12 [95% IC (0.02; 0.24)]. There was a moderate concordance on the grade between the pretherapeutic biopsy and the final histopathological examination on excised tissue with an adjusted kappa of 0.52 [95% IC 0.42–0.62)]. Endometrial biopsy underestimated the tumor grade in 28.9% of cases (n = 50) (p < 0.001), overestimated the tumor grade in 6.9% of cases (n = 12) and we observed a concordance in 64.2% of cases (n = 111). Conclusion: The pre-operative assessment of endometrial cancer is inconsistent with the results obtained on final histopathological examination. A study with a systematic review should be done to assess the performance of MRI, only in expert centers, in order to consider a a specific care management for endometrial cancer patients: patients who have had an MRI in an outpatient center should have their imaging systematically reviewed, with the possibility of a new examination in case of incomplete sequences, by expert radiologists, and discussed in multidisciplinary concertation meeting in expert centers, before any therapeutic decision. The sentinel node biopsy must be used for low and intermediate risk endometrial cancer.

Role of uterine manipulator during laparoscopic endometrial cancer treatment.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most frequent gynecologic malignancy with 61,000 new cases diagnosed per year in the USA. Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) LAP2 randomized study demonstrated a superimposable 5-year overall survival between laparotomic and laparoscopic approaches in EC treatment. In this context the uterine manipulator (UM) represents a valuable tool in order to increase the ergonomics of surgical gesture during a laparoscopic total hysterectomy. Despite the proven safety of the minimally invasive approach in EC treatment, neither the indication whether to use or not, nor the recommendation concerning a specific type of UM are provided by international guidelines. This narrative review aims to collect all the main findings in the literature about UM use to investigate its safety in EC patients. Based on the analysis of the literature research, the main results were categorized into two manipulator-related problems: the iatrogenic LVSI, and the retrograde tumor spillage. LVSI is defined as the presence of tumor cells within an endothelium-lined space. An electronic search was performed using the following keywords: ‘uterine manipulator’, and ‘endometrial cancer’. The electronic database search provided a total of 93 studies. Of whom, 12 case reports, 5 studies not in English language, and 65 works not fitting the review scope were excluded from the analysis. Eleven studies were considered eligible for the purpose of the study. The most recent studies have highlighted the safety of the uterine manipulator in the early-stage EC laparoscopic treatment. All types of manipulators are considered to be fairly safe but its application should be tailored according to tumor dimension and grade of myometrial infiltration.

Fertility Sparing Treatment of Endometrial Cancer with and without Initial Infiltration of Myometrium: A Single Center Experience.

Simple SummaryEndometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract, and in 14% of cases, is diagnosed in premenopausal women, While, the cancer appears in 5% in women of childbearing age. Preserving fertility in these women should be the goal of cancer practice. The aim of our study is to describe pregnancy outcomes of our center in women with G1 endometrial endometrioid cancer and atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasm undergone conservative treatment. Moreover, for the first time, obstetric and oncological outcomes are described in a long follow up, including women with minimal myometrial infiltration.Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth largest female cancer in Europe and North America. In 5% of cases, the diagnosis is made in women who wish to become pregnant. In our retrospective study, we reported our experience about fertility sparing treatment of G1 endometrioid endometrial cancer (G1 EEC) or atypical endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasm (AEH/EIN) in young women desiring pregnancy treated in our Center. Conservative treatment was based on operative hysteroscopy and hormone therapy with megestrol acetate (160 mg/die for 9 months). For the first time we included women with G1 EEC with minimal myometrial infiltration. The minimum follow-up period was two years and consisted of serial outpatient hysteroscopies with endometrial biopsies. Among the 36 women with G1 EEC we observed one case of disease persistence and four recurrences and four recurrences among the 46 women diagnosed with AEH/EIN. To date, 35 live births were obtained in both groups. Our results advance the hypothesis that conservative treatment can represent a safe and feasible alternative to propose to young women with desire for pregnancy. Further randomized and multicentric studies are needed to arrive at unambiguous and standardized guidelines on the surgical and medical treatment of young women with EEC or AEH/EIN.

Application Value of Real-Time Shear Wave Elastography in Diagnosing the Depth of Infiltrating Muscular Layer of Endometrial Cancer.

To explore the clinical value of real-time shear wave ultrasonic elastography in diagnosing the depth of infiltrating muscularis of endometrial cancer. Seventy-one patients with stage I endometrial cancer infiltrating the myometrium and 37 patients with normal physical examination were enrolled and divided into three groups: endometrial cancer superficial muscle infiltration group, endometrial cancer deep muscle infiltration group, and normal control group. After completing 2-dimensional ultrasound examination, each patient switched to the real-time shear wave elastography mode to measure the elasticity values Emax, Emean, and Esd. For control group, comparison of elastic modulus values between superficial muscular layer near the intimal surface and the deep muscular layer near the serosa surface showed no difference (P > 0.05). For endometrial cancer superficial muscular infiltration group, significant difference was found regarding the elastic modulus values of infiltrated muscular layer and uninfiltrated muscular layer (Emax and Emean) without difference for Esd (P > 0.05). A significant difference of elastic modulus was observed between control group and deep myometrial infiltration group (P < 0.05) without difference of Emean or Emax but with difference of Esd. The accuracy in diagnosing muscular layer infiltration was 78.9% for Emax cutoff and 82.5% for Emean cutoff. The rate of using Emax ≥32.22 kPa or Emean ≥27.54 kPa as the ultrasound standard for diagnosing myometrium infiltration was 92.9%. The accuracy for the diagnosis of muscular layer infiltration was 96.1% for Emax cutoff, 94.1% for Emean cutoff and 86.3% for Esd cutoff. Real-time shear wave elastography is helpful to determine the depth of infiltrating myometrium of endometrial cancer.

Novelties of ultrasound imaging for endometrial cancer preoperative workup.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most frequent gynecological cancer. Transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) plays a leading role in the preoperative workup and often is the first diagnostic instrumental examination. Despite expert hands' ultrasound is recommended to assess myometrial invasion in early stage EC, this method is a strictly operator-dependent examination, and varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity have been reported. The present review aims to provide an update of ultrasound imaging in the preoperative work-up for EC patients. A double-blind search was performed from May to September 2020. The following keywords: "ultrasound," "transvaginal ultrasound" and "endometrial cancer" were searched in Pubmed search engines, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Prisma statement was followed for the selection of the articles included. The initial search provided 958 studies, of which 11 were included in the analysis. non-English articles, not relevant to the purposes of this study, case reports and articles with fewer than 40 cases were excluded. TVU sensitivity and specificity in myometrial infiltration and cervical invasion is comparable to MRI but has lower costs, greater patient tolerability, and does not require contrast agents. An expert operator should perform the ultrasound examination in patients with suspected EC The presence of myometrial lesions, such as leiomyomas, could lower the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound, so special attention should be paid to patients with concomitant uterine lesions.

Laparoscopic Management of an Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy

Study Objective An ectopic pregnancy, also known as a cornual ectopic pregnancy, is rare form of tubal ectopic pregnancy and is associated with high maternal mortality (2-2.5%). The objective of this film is to review the epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis and management of an ectopic pregnancy. Design This is a case report of a patient who presented with an ectopic pregnancy. Setting The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative course took place at a center for minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. The surgery was performed with the patient in dorsal lithotomy position. Patients or Participants N/A Interventions In this film, we review the specific technique for performing a laparoscopic cornual wedge resection with a laparoscopic ultrasonic dissector and removal of the specimen through a laparoscopic specimen retrieval bag. We also identify surgical principles for reducing intraoperative blood loss and improving patient outcomes. Lastly, we review postoperative and fertility outcomes and expectations. Measurements and Main Results Key strategies were employed to minimize intraoperative blood loss including administration of tranexamic acid at the start of the procedure, myometrial infiltration with dilute vasopressin and maintaining view of anatomic landmarks to avoid encountering the utero-ovarian vasculature. The ectopic pregnancy was successfully resected, and the patient's fertility was preserved. Conclusion After watching the film, the viewer should be able to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy on transvaginal pelvic ultrasound by identifying the interstitial line sign and be able to reasonably differentiate it from other forms of ectopic pregnancy. The viewer will understand the management options including both local and systemic methotrexate, as well as surgical options, including laparoscopic cornual wedge resection. The viewer will have a grasp of the surgical principles employed to reduce intraoperative blood loss and the evidence for counseling patients regarding future fertility.

Confounding factors of transvaginal ultrasound accuracy in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most frequently diagnosed gynecological tumour. Transvaginal ultrasound has a leading role in the preoperative evaluation of endometrial cancer patients. The study aimed to identify factors that can worsen the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in endometrial cancer patients. We retrospectively analysed 290 patients with histological diagnosis of endometrial adenocarcinoma. Two-dimensional (2D) gray-scale ultrasound and power Doppler imaging were performed. Age, menopause status, obesity, parity, Figo stage and benign uterine disorders were evaluated as possible factors worsening the diagnostic accuracy of the ultrasonography. FIGO stage IB was the main significant confounding factor in the univariate analysis (p = .004). Furthermore, 2D transvaginal ultrasound showed worse diagnostic accuracy in endometrial cancer patients with concomitant benign uterine pathologies. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Many studies have analysed the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in predicting myometrial invasion, but few studies have underlined the importance of confounding factors. Shin et al. (2011) showed that diffuse fibromatosis is a quality ultrasound confounding factor. Furthermore, Fischerova et al. (2014) showed that body mass index (BMI) did not influence the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound assessment. What do the results of this study add? FIGO stage IB is the main factor worsening the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in endometrial cancer patients (p = .004). Among the 82 patients with histologically proven FIGO stage IB, 27 (32.9%) had a wrong ultrasound prediction of myometrial infiltration. Twenty-one (36.2%) patients in whom there was no agreement between ultrasound prediction of myometrial infiltration and pathological analysis had fibromatosis and/or adenomyosis (p = 0.04). What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Two-dimensional ultrasound represents a useful tool in the correct pre-operative setting of patients with endometrial cancer. In FIGO stages IB endometrial cancer patients and in conjunction with benign uterine pathologies, 2D transvaginal ultrasound has less diagnostic accuracy. In these cases, MRI still plays a leading role.

VP66.02: 3D ultrasound for preoperatively staging endometrial cancer

An article was recently published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, comparing available strategies to determine the optimal methodology to employ when deciding on whether to perform a pelvic lymphadenectomy (PL) in conjunction with a hysterectomy for the treatment of Endometrial Carcinoma (EC). Though this investigation was published a few years ago (the citation is listed below), the case series was continued to the present day. All patients in this investigation who were clinically diagnosed with EC were examined sonographically prior to scheduled surgery, using 3DTVS and power Doppler angiography (PDA), and Virtual Organ Computer-Aided Analysis (VOCAL) and Volume Contrast Imaging (VCI) from April, 2015 through March, 2020. All patients underwent a subsequent surgical procedure with the resulting surgical histology obtained within three months after the TVS, to be compared with those pre-operative ultrasound findings. Deep myometrial infiltration was diagnosed when the tumour was equal or more than 50% of the total thickness of the uterine wall. The identified sonographic features of the patients enrolled in this study were compared with the intraoperative and post-operative pathologic findings. With the results of the analysis of 27 patients, the sonographic findings predicted the minimum EC staging 100 % of the time. There may be some benefit to knowing the extent of myometrial invasion at the time of hysterectomy, so as to best decide on whether to perform a PL. In this case series, the authors correctly predicted the pathologic EC staging 100% of the time with pre-operative 3DTVS, which should be strongly considered for its routine pre-surgical use when the diagnosis of EC is being considered. REFERENCE 1. Fernandez CM, Levine EM, Dini M, Bannon K, Butler S, LocherS: Predictive value of three-dimensional transvaginal sonographyfor staging of endometrial carcinoma. J Diagn Med Sonogr2018; 34(5): 496-500.

Pattern of Lymph Node Metastasis in Endometrial Cancer: a Single Institution Experience.

Surgical staging remains the standard primary treatment of endometrial cancer. Lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor which helps in deciding adjuvant treatment. Extensive lymphadenectomy is associated with increased incidence of morbidity. The role of lymphadenectomy in surgical staging is still controversial especially in early stage disease. The surgico-pathological pattern of 155 patients with apparently stage 1 cancer endometrium who had undergone pelvic alone or pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection and its correlation to the grade of the tumour, myometrial infiltration and presence of peritoneal disease and incidence of peri-operative morbidity are analysed and described.

Adenomyosis in mice resulting from mechanically or thermally induced endometrial–myometrial interface disruption and its possible prevention

Research questionDo uterine procedures potentially disrupting the endometrial–myometrial interface (EMI) induce adenomyosis? DesignSix prospective, randomized controlled experiments were conducted involving a total of 106 female BALB/c and 12 female C57BL/6 mice. The incidence of adenomyosis was evaluated in these two strains of mouse after mechanically induced EMI disruption (EMID), or thermally induced EMID using electrocoagulation of different intensities. Finally, the incidence was evaluated in mice that had received perioperative administration of aprepitant (an NK1R inhibitor), propranolol (a beta-blocker) or vehicle. Body weight, hot plate latency and grade of myometrial infiltration were evaluated. Histology, immunohistochemistry and histochemistry analyses were also performed. ResultsMechanical injury to the EMI caused EMID. Adenomyosis developed in the majority of mice in the EMID groups 3 months after mechanically induced EMID but did not develop in the control group (83.3% in C57BL/6 mice, P = 0.015; 100% in BALB/c mice, P = 0.0002). With thermally induced EMID, adenomyosis was found in 30% of the EMID mice 10 weeks later, but the incidence increased to 66.7% if the extent of EMID damage was increased. In mice with perioperative administration of aprepitant or propranolol, the incidence of adenomyosis was reduced from 100% to 58.3% (both P = 0.00034). ConclusionsThis study provides the first piece of experimental evidence that EMID resulting from iatrogenic uterine procedures can substantially increase the risk of developing adenomyosis, with the risk in proportion to the severity of disruption. More intriguingly, perioperative administration of an NK1R antagonist or beta-blocker significantly reduced the risk of developing adenomyosis.

Clinical analysis of 30 patients with atypical glandular hyperplasia or malignant transformation in foci of adenomyosis

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with pre-malignant or malignant transformation in ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 4 818 patients received surgical treatment in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and pathologically confirmed as adenomyosis from January 2010 to October 2016. The clinical features and prognosis of 30 patients among these with pre-malignant or malignant transformation in ectopic endometrium were reviewed. Results: A total of 4 818 patients pathologically diagnosed with adenomyosis. Among these,30 (0.62%,30/4 818) patients were diagnosed with pre-malignant or malignant transformation in foci of adenomyosis, including 16 (0.33%, 16/4 818) of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and 14 (0.29%, 14/4 818) of endometrioid carcinoma. The average age of 30 patients was (50.8±3.0) years (range: 27-65 years). Patients with atypical hyperplasia in foci of adenomyosis coexist with 13 cases of endometrioid carcinoma in situ, 1 case of borderline serous papilloma in eutopic endometrium, 1 case of atypical hyperplasia in eutopic endometrium, and 1 case of normal eutopic endometrium. Fourteen patients with endometrioid carcinoma in foci of adenomyosis coexist with endometrioid carcinoma in situ. Among the 27 patients with pre-malignant or malignant transformation in adenomyosis and coexisting with endometrioid carcinoma in situ, 23 of them were in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ⅰa (85%, 23/27), 2 in stage Ⅰb (7%, 2/27), and 2 in stage Ⅲa (7%, 2/27). Seven percent (2/27) of patients had deep myometrial infiltration, and 7% (2/27) of patients had lymphovascular space invasion. The median follow-up time was 60 months (range: 32-104 months), and there were no recurrence or death. Conclusions: The incidence of atypical glandular hyperplasia or malignant transformation in foci of adenomyosis is rare, and it may be closely related to endometrial disease in situ. Pre-malignant or malignant change in foci of adenomyosis seems not to increase the risk of deep myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, and recurrence or mortality in patients of adenomyosis with endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Unexpected endometrial malacoplakia related to abortion and placental rests retention: a case report

BackgroundMalacoplakia is a rare chronic inflammatory disease. The name derives from the Greek “μαλακός” meaning “soft” and “πλάξ” meaning “plaque”, describing its usual macroscopic presentation as a friable yellow soft plaque. It was first described by von Hansemann in 1901 and by Michaelis and Gutmann in 1902. The urinary system is the most commonly involved site. Female genital tract involvement is extremely rare. Treatment is prevalently based on antibiotics with surgical intervention sometimes necessary. Prognosis is usually good, but relapse may frequently occur.Case presentationThis report illustrates the first case of endometrial malacoplakia in a 40 years-old patient who received endometrial curettage due to the retention of placental rests following an abortion. After conspicuous vaginal sero-hematic secretions, the patient received a further curettage. The histological examination did not show any retention of chorionic rests, but an endometrial and myometrial infiltration of histiocytes with large granular cytoplasm within a chronic inflammatory background. Immunoreactivity for CK-pool was negative, while CD68 immunostaining was strongly positive.ConclusionsMalacoplakia of endometrium is an extremely rare condition, with few cases reported in the whole international literature. In this paper, we present the first case associated to an abortion followed by endometrial curettage procedures. This rare disease should always be attentively examined, considering, among differential diagnoses, uterine neoplasms or physiological conditions such as cumulus of foamy macrophages in the endometrium.

Shi Xiao San ameliorates the development of adenomyosis in an ICR mouse model

The use of Shi Xiao San (SXS), composed of Pollen Typhae Angustifoliae and Faeces Trogopterori, can be traced back to the Song dynasty. Traditionally, SXS has been used to treat irregular menstruation, pelvic pain, progressive dysmenorrhea, and postpartum lochiorrhea. The management of adenomyosis (AM) is challenging and to the best of our knowledge there are currently no effective therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of SXS on the development of adenomyosis in a mouse model. AM was induced in 60 neonatal female ICR mice by administering tamoxifen; 10 randomly selected mice were used for model identification via histopathological examination and 10 mice treated with the solvent alone were used as the normal controls. A total of sixty days after birth, the mice treated with AM were randomly divided into four groups and administered one of the following treatments: Low-dose SXS (55 mg/kg); high-dose SXS (110 mg/kg); danazol (1 mg/20 g body weight); or no treatment (model group); at the same time, the normal control group received no treatment. After 2 months of treatment, hotplate and tail-flick tests were used to assess the response to noxious thermal stimuli in the mice, and plasma samples were collected to measure corticosterone levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining scores of myometrial infiltration and the number of AM nodules were evaluated. Furthermore, the expression of genes associated with AM-related pain was also analyzed. The results from the present study indicated that treatment with SXS decreased myometrial infiltration, alleviated generalized hyperalgesia, and lowered plasma corticosterone levels in mice with induced AM. These findings suggest that SXS effectively attenuated the development of AM, and may serve as a promising treatment approach for AM treatment.