Preoperative Endometrial Biopsy Research Articles

Molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma on endometrial biopsy: an early prognostic value to guide personalized treatment

ObjectiveMolecular features are essential for estimating the risk of recurrence and impacting overall survival in patients with endometrial cancer. Additionally, the surgical procedure itself could be personalized based on the...

Unexpected rare uterine carcinosarcoma with neuroendocrine differentiation: Reflections on clinical diagnosis and treatment of a case report.

Uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) is a rare and highly invasive malignant tumor.It exhibits an ectopic growth pattern of the uterus,and its histological features are biphasic differentiation of malignant epithelial components (cancer) and malignant mesenchymal components (sarcoma). The pathological pattern of high-component neuroendocrine differentiation is extremely rare. Due to the inherent heterogeneity of tumors, it increases the difficulty of accurate identification and diagnosis. The author introduces a rare case of primary endometrial carcinosarcoma (heterologous) with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) components. There is limited literature on this rare pathological differentiation pattern and a lack of guidelines for the best treatment methods, which prompts reflection on the diagnosis, optimal treatment strategies, and how preoperative diagnosis can affect patient prognosis for endometrial carcinosarcoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. The patient is an elderly woman who presents with abnormal vaginal bleeding after menopause. Transvaginal ultrasound examination shows that the uterus is slightly enlarged, and there is a lack of homogeneous echogenicity in the uterine cavity. Subsequently, a hysteroscopic curettage was performed, and a space-occupying lesion was observed on the anterior wall of the uterine cavity. Preoperative endometrial biopsy revealed SCNEC of the endometrium. The patient underwent radical hysterectomy, and the postoperative pathological results showed that UCS (heterologous) was accompanied by SCNEC components (about 80%). The patient received radical hysterectomy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. After 7 months of follow-up, no tumor recurrence or metastasis was found at the time of writing this article. The histological type of UCS (heterologous) with cell neuroendocrine carcinoma components is rare and highly invasive, with a high misdiagnosis rate in preoperative biopsy. There are currently no effective treatment guidelines for this type of case. The unusual appearance of SCNEC components in this case poses a challenge for both pathologists and surgeon. The rare differentiation pattern of this case exposes the complexity of its management and the necessity of prospective trials to determine the optimal treatment plan.

The Role of Endometrial Sampling before Hysterectomy in Premenopausal Women with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding.

Background/Objectives: An endometrial sampling is recommended for patients experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding above the age of 40 or 45. Valid risk prediction models are needed to accurately assess the risk of endometrial cancer and avoid an unnecessary endometrial biopsy in premenopausal women. We aimed to assess the necessity and usefulness of preoperative endometrial sampling by evaluating premenopausal women who underwent hysterectomy for abnormal uterine bleeding after preoperative endometrial sampling at our clinic. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 339 patients who underwent preoperative endometrial sampling and subsequently underwent hysterectomy due to abnormal uterine bleeding. Detailed gynecologic examinations, patient histories, and reports of endometrial sampling and hysterectomy were recorded. Cohen's Kappa (κ) statistic was utilized to evaluate the concordance between histopathological results from an endometrial biopsy and hysterectomy. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 47 ± 4 years. Endometrial biopsies predominantly revealed benign findings, with 137 (40.4%) cases showing proliferative endometrium and 2 (0.6%) cases showing endometrial cancer. Following hysterectomy, final pathology indicated proliferative endometrium in 208 (61.4%) cases, with 7 (2.1%) cases showing endometrioid cancer. There was a statistically significant but low level of concordance between histopathological reports of endometrial biopsy and hysterectomy results (Kappa = 0.108; p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed only in the body mass index of patients based on hysterectomy results (p = 0.004). When demographic characteristics were compared with cancer incidence, smoking status and preoperative endometrial biopsy findings showed statistically significant differences (p = 0.042 and p = 0.010, respectively). Conclusions: The concordance between the pathological findings of a preoperative endometrial biopsy and hysterectomy is low. Body mass index is an important differentiating factor between benign histopathologic findings of endometrium and endometrial neoplasia. Moreover, adenomyosis was found to be associated with endometrial cancer cases. The current approach to premenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding, which includes a routine endometrial biopsy, warrants re-evaluation by international societies and experts.

Abstract A021: Pilot study of daily exemestane in patients with Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia (EIN) or grade 1 endometrial cancer

Abstract Introduction: The purpose of this study is to evaluate exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, as a potential agent for the chemoprevention of endometrial cancer. Experimental procedures: This is a multi-center, phase IIA, single arm ‘window of opportunity’ pilot study of 25 mg per day of exemestane for 21-42 days in postmenopausal patients undergoing hysterectomy for endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) or low-grade endometrial cancer. The primary objective is to determine if there is a decrease in proliferation index, measured by percent Ki-67 expression in endometrial tissue, from pre-treatment to post-exposure. Results of Ki-67 are compared with a historic control cohort of tumors from patients matched by preoperative histologic diagnosis, age, BMI category. Specimens from the historic control cohort included a preoperative endometrial biopsy as well as a surgical specimen, separated in time by less than 42 days. Secondary outcomes include comparison of Ki67 to historic controls, circulating serum estradiol and progesterone levels, pathologic response, tissue biomarkers, safety and adverse effects. Summary of Data: Forty patients accrued to the study between January of 2018 and March of 2021. The mean age was 63 (range 52-75). Thirty-nine patients (97.5%) self identifiedself-identified as white; 1 patient (2.5%) identified as Asian. The mean BMI was 40.3 (SD 9.75, range 22.8-60.5). Preoperative diagnoses included EIN, grade 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma, and grade 2 endometrial adenocarcinoma in 11 (27.5%), 26 (65%), and 3 (7.5%) patients respectively. Thirty-nine patients (97.5%) were compliant with exemestane dosing. All patients completed the study and no patients discontinued or interrupted therapy due to treatment related adverse events. Thirty-eight patients had evaluable specimens for both pre and post-treatment Ki-67 analysis. Median Ki-67 score decreased from 40.7% [IQR (33.9%, 50.3] at baseline to 18.1% [IQR (8.8%, 31.8%)]. This represents a median absolute change from baseline of -20.4% [IQR (-29.9, -6.7), p&amp;lt;0.001]. In total, percentage of Ki-67 in tumor cells declined in 31 patients and increased in 7 patients. In the historic control cohort, patients also had a decrease in Ki-67 score with a median absolute change from baseline of -6.7% [IQR (-12.7%, -1.3%), p&amp;lt;0.001]. However, the decrease in Ki-67 was greater in the study patients than the matched historic controls, with a median difference between the groups of -13.4% [IQR= (-23.3%, 6.9%), p=0.0095]. Serum estradiol levels did not change significantly between baseline and post-treatment (p=0.16). There was a small but significant increase from baseline to post-treatment in serum progesterone (0.14 ng/mL vs 0.37 ng/mL, p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion: In this pilot window of opportunity study, exemestane demonstrates anti-proliferative effects in endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia and low-grade endometrial cancer. This agent warrants further evaluation for the chemoprevention of endometrial cancer. Citation Format: Britt K. Erickson, Lisa Barrioullet, Rebecca C. Arend, Dina El-Rayes, Mahmoud Khalifa, Amy Skubitz, Kristin Boylan, Andrew Nelson, Bharat Thyagarajan, Thomas Havighurst, Richard Chappell, Eileen Dimond, Katina Deshong, Goli Samimi, Eva Szabo, Howard Bailey. Pilot study of daily exemestane in patients with Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia (EIN) or grade 1 endometrial cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Endometrial Cancer: Transforming Care through Science; 2023 Nov 16-18; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2024;30(5_Suppl):Abstract nr A021.

Prevalence of precancerous gynecological lesions and gynecological cancer in patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse

Objectives This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the prevalence of precancerous or malignant lesions of the cervix and/or endometrium among patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy. Materials and methods Medical record of patients who had been diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and undergone vaginal hysterectomy from January 2009 to September 2018 in tertiary hospital was reviewed. The exclusion criteria included individuals who had previously received a diagnosis of gynecologic precancerous lesions or cancer, had abnormal preoperative findings, presented abnormal cervical cancer screening test results or abnormal results from preoperative endometrial biopsy, and had incomplete operative notes or pathological results. Results The electronic medical records of 530 patients were reviewed and included in the analysis. Nine of the 530 patients (1.7%) had precancerous or malignant lesions of the cervix and/or endometrium. The prevalence of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma were 0.19% and 0.57%, respectively. All of the patients with endometrial cancer subsequently underwent complete surgical staging. Precancerous cervical lesions were found in five patients (0.95%): CIN II 0.38% and CIN III 0.57%. No cases of cervical cancer were identified. Conclusions It is possible to detect a minor prevalence of precancerous and malignant lesions following post-operative procedures in POP. The assessment of the elderly through the use of risk-based evaluation merits attention for the purpose of early identification. This study offers valuable insights that can be utilized in preoperative counseling and enhancing the preoperative evaluation process.

Rates of unanticipated premalignant and malignant lesions at the time of hysterectomy performed for pelvic organ prolapse in an underscreened population

The rate of unanticipated premalignant or malignant pathology at the time of hysterectomy performed for pelvic organ prolapse has been previously reported to be 0.2%. It is not known whether this rate is similar in patients with limited access to regular medical care. This study aimed to describe the rates of unanticipated premalignancy and malignancy at the time of hysterectomy performed for pelvic organ prolapse in an underscreened population and to determine the risk factors for unanticipated pathology. Hysterectomies performed for pelvic organ prolapse at a large public hospital between July 2007 and July 2019 were reviewed. Patients undergoing surgery for malignancy or premalignancy were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for demographic information, medical history, preoperative workup, and final pathology. Frequencies of abnormal pathologies were calculated. Demographic and screening factors were correlated with pathologic findings using the Fisher exact test or Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate. This study was approved by the institutional review board. Between 2007 and 2019, 759 cases of pelvic organ prolapse were identified. Of 759 patients, 667 (87.9%) self-identified as Hispanic. The median age was 57 years old, and 505 of 759 patients (66.5%) were in the postmenopausal stage. Abnormal uterine bleeding history was present in 217 of 759 patients (28.6%). Of 759 patients, 493 (65.4%) underwent preoperative ultrasonography, and 290 (38.3%) underwent preoperative endometrial biopsy. Of the 744 uterine specimens that had available histology results, there were 2 cases of endometrial hyperplasia and 1 case of endometrial cancer. Of the 729 cervical specimens that were available for review, there was 1 case of intraepithelial neoplasia and 2 cases of cervical cancer. In the 246 patients who underwent oophorectomy, no ovarian malignancy was found. For patients undergoing hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse in an underscreened population, the rates of endometrial dysplasia or cancer were 0.40% (3/744), and the rates of cervical dysplasia or cancer were 0.42% (3/729). Our results underscore the importance of considering screening history when interpreting preoperative cervical and endometrial cancer screening. Consideration of higher negative predictive value tests, such as cytology with human papillomavirus cotesting and preoperative counseling on the risks and management strategies of unanticipated premalignancy or malignancy within this population may be reasonable.

Sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with endometrial hyperplasia: A practice to preserve or abandon?

ObjectivesTo compare outcomes of patients with premalignant endometrial pathology undergoing hysterectomy with or without sentinel lymph node (SLN) removal. Outcomes of interest included surgical adverse events (AEs), cancer status on final pathology, postoperative treatment, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) molecular risk profiles. MethodsWe retrospectively identified patients with premalignant pathology on preoperative endometrial biopsy who underwent hysterectomy with or without SLN mapping/excision at our institution from 01/01/2017–12/31/2021. Clinical, pathologic, surgical, and TCGA profiling data were abstracted. Appropriate statistical tests were used. ResultsOf 221 patients identified, 161 (73%) underwent hysterectomy with SLN excision and 60 (27%) underwent hysterectomy without SLN excision. Median age and body mass index were similar between groups. Median operative time was 130 min for those who underwent SLN mapping/excision versus 136 min for those who did not (p = 0.6). Thirty-day postoperative AE rates were 9% (n = 15/161) and 13% (n = 8/60), respectively (p = 0.9). Ninety-eight (44%) of 221 patients had grade 1–2 endometrioid endometrial cancer on final pathology (4 [4%] were stage IB or higher). Ten (10%) of 98 patients, all within the SLN group, received adjuvant treatment. Among all patients, of 33 (15%) with TCGA molecular classification data, 27 (82%) had copy number-low, 3 (9%) microsatellite instability-high, 2 (6%) POLE-ultramutated, and 1 (3%) copy number-high disease. ConclusionsSLN assessment appears safe, detects a small number of occult nodal metastases for those upstaged, and provides additional staging information that can guide adjuvant treatment. SLN mapping should be discussed in preoperative counseling and offered using a shared decision-making approach.

Evaluation of the role of intraoperative frozen section and magnetic resonance imaging in endometrial cancer.

To evaluate the accuracy of preoperative endometrial biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of endometrial cancer compared with that of intraoperative frozen section. This retrospective study included 264 patients who underwent surgery with intraoperative frozen section for endometrial cancer at our institution between 2014 and 2018. Diagnosis was determined by histologic type, grade, and myometrial invasion. Concordance rate, sensitivity, and specificity of preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative frozen diagnosis were calculated, in comparison to the final pathologic diagnosis. Preoperative and intraoperative diagnoses showed no statistically significant difference in determining histologic type and grade (P= 0.152). Intraoperative diagnosis showed higher sensitivity for endometrioid carcinoma grade 3 and other types, and higher specificity for grade 1. For myometrial invasion, intraoperative diagnosis showed significantly higher concordance rate than preoperative MRI findings (P< 0.01). Intraoperative diagnosis showed higher sensitivity and specificity in patients with and without myometrial invasion, respectively. Higher agreement between intraoperative and final diagnoses, especially in myometrial invasion, suggests that intraoperative frozen section is a good indicator for appropriate surgical procedure decision making.

Preoperative sampling in endometrial cancer: evaluation of the histopathological agreement with definitive surgical specimen.

The main goal of this study is to assess the diagnostic agreement between preoperative biopsy and definitive histology of the surgical specimen to determine which sampling method is most suitable for diagnosis of early-stage endometrial cancer. We performed a retrospective multicentric study to assess the correlation between three endometrial sampling methods (hysteroscopy, pipelle and D&C) in patients who had undergone preoperative endometrial biopsy and received primary surgical treatment for endometrial cancer. The primary objective was the agreement rate between hysteroscopy (HSC), endometrial biopsy (pipelle) and dilatation and curettage (D&C). A total of 1833 women who underwent preoperative sampling at 15 centers were included: 1042 biopsies were performed by HSC, 703 by pipelle and 88 by D&C. All three methods presented a moderate diagnostic concordance (κ = 0.40-0.61) with the definitive specimen's histology: HSC (κ = 0.47), pipelle sampling (κ = 0.48) and D&C (κ = 0.48). Likewise, a subgroup analysis was performed by histological subtype comparing HSC and endometrial biopsy, showing that neither is superior as a diagnostic method. According to this study, the use of pipelle sampling could become an adequate diagnostic method in endometrial cancer due to its similar agreement to HSC, ease of use and affordability.

Sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with endometrial hyperplasia: A practice to preserve or abandon? (117)

<b>Objectives:</b> This study aimed to assess outcomes in a cohort of patients (pts) with a preoperative diagnosis of atypical endometrial hyperplasia undergoing hysterectomy with and without sentinel node evaluation and to assess molecular classification in this cohort. <b>Methods:</b> We included all patients in our prospective database (between 2017 and 2021) diagnosed with premalignant pathology on preoperative endometrial biopsy (including endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia, complex atypical hyperplasia, and hyperplasia bordering on carcinoma) who underwent hysterectomy (HYST) and hysterectomy with sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping. All biopsies were reviewed by gynecologic pathologists. Clinical, pathologic, surgical, and treatment data and TCGA molecular classification were abstracted, and appropriate statistical tests were utilized. <b>Results:</b> We identified 221 pts; 161 (73%) SLN and 60 (27%) HYST. Median age (56 vs 57 years, p=0.1) and BMI (33 vs 34 kg/m2, p=0.4) were similar. Bilateral SLN mapping was documented for 158 (98%) SLN pts. Of 221 pts, 98 (45%) had FIGO grade 1-2 endometrioid endometrial cancer (EC) on final hysterectomy pathology: 17 (28%) HYST and 81 (50%) SLN pts (p=0.003). Myoinvasion was identified in 15/221 (7%) pts, with 2/15 (13%) being the outer half myoinvasion. Among 98 pts with EC, four (4%) were stage IB or higher, including one pt with stage IIIC and one with stage IIIA. Among 161 patients in the SLN group, one (0.6%) was node-positive and three (2%) pts had isolated tumor cells in an SLN. Ten of 98 (10%) pts received adjuvant treatment, and all were within the SLN group (chemotherapy [<i>n</i>=1], IVRT [<i>n</i>=8], or combination chemotherapy and radiation [<i>n</i>=1]). No pt has recurred in either group, with a median follow-up of 13.8 mos (range: 0.4-52). Eight of 60 HYST (13%) and 15/161 SLN (9%) pts had a postoperative 30-day adverse event (p=0.9). TCGA molecular classification was available for 38 pts: 32 (87%) CN-L, three (8%) MSI-H, two (5%) <i>POLE</i>, and no CN-H pts. <b>Conclusions:</b> Among pts with a preoperative biopsy of premalignant endometrial pathology, 45% were upgraded to endometrial cancer, including 7% with myoinvasion and variable TCGA molecular subtype. SLN mapping did not increase postoperative morbidity and showed a low incidence of occult disease but can help avoid reoperation with full lymphadenectomy for staging. Referral of pts with endometrial hyperplasia to gynecologic oncologists provides an opportunity for shared decision-making to balance the risks and benefits of SLN biopsy.

Multimodal MRI-Based Radiomics-Clinical Model for Preoperatively Differentiating Concurrent Endometrial Carcinoma From Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia.

ObjectivesTo develop and validate a radiomics model based on multimodal MRI combining clinical information for preoperative distinguishing concurrent endometrial carcinoma (CEC) from atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH).Materials and MethodsA total of 122 patients (78 AEH and 44 CEC) who underwent preoperative MRI were enrolled in this retrospective study. Radiomics features were extracted based on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. After feature reduction by minimum redundancy maximum relevance and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm, single-modal and multimodal radiomics signatures, clinical model, and radiomics-clinical model were constructed using logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the models.ResultsThe combined radiomics signature of T2WI, DWI, and ADC maps showed better discrimination ability than either alone. The radiomics-clinical model consisting of multimodal radiomics features, endometrial thickness >11mm, and nulliparity status achieved the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.932 (95% confidential interval [CI]: 0.880-0.984), bootstrap corrected AUC of 0.922 in the training set, and AUC of 0.942 (95% CI: 0.852-1.000) in the validation set. Subgroup analysis further revealed that this model performed well for patients with preoperative endometrial biopsy consistent and inconsistent with postoperative pathologic data (consistent group, F1-score = 0.865; inconsistent group, F1-score = 0.900).ConclusionsThe radiomics model, which incorporates multimodal MRI and clinical information, might be used to preoperatively differentiate CEC from AEH, especially for patients with under- or over-estimated preoperative endometrial biopsy.

The Accuracy of Endometrial Sampling and Clinical Affecting Factors as a Predictor of Final Surgical Pathology in Endometrial Cancer

Background: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the correlation between preoperative and final histologic diagnoses of endometrial cancer and to identify clinicopathologic factors associated with the concordance between initial and final hysterectomy specimens. Methods: Patients who underwent primary surgical treatment for endometrial cancer at our institute from January 2016 through December 2020 were enrolled. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) grade and histologic subtype in the pathologic reports were recorded. The level of agreement of tumor grade and histologic type were analyzed. Results: A total of 425 cases were recruited. The overall level of agreement between preoperative grading was moderate according to kappa statistics (κ = 0.469, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.385, 0.553). Furthermore, agreement related to the histologic subtype was substantial (κ = 0.778, 95% CI: 0.682, 0.874). The most frequently used endometrial sampling methods were the office endometrial sampling and endometrial curettage (49.2% and 32%, respectively). Among each diagnostic method, manual vacuum aspiration and endometrial curettage had high tumor grade correlation between the preoperative sampling and final pathology (κ = 0.743, 95% CI: 0.549, 0.937 and κ = 0.624, 95% CI: 0.512, 0.736, respectively). Negative peritoneal cytology was was the significant factor associated with concordance between preoperative endometrial sampling and final surgical pathology, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.01 (95% CI: 1.03, 3.92; p = 0.040). Conclusions: Regardless of the different diagnostic methods, preoperative endometrial biopsy has limitations in predicting tumor grade compared with final hysterectomy specimens in women with endometrial cancer.

Can addition of frozen section analysis to preoperative endometrial biopsy and MRI improve identification of high-risk endometrial cancer patients?

BackgroundSurgeons sometimes have difficulty determining which result to favor when preoperative results (MRI + preoperative endometrial biopsy [pre-op EB]) differ from intraoperative frozen section histology (FS) results. Investigation of how FS can complement ordinary preoperative examinations like MRI and pre-op EB in identification of patients at high risk of lymph node metastasis (high-risk patients) could provide clarity on this issue. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the utility of pre-op EB, MRI and FS results and determine how to combine these results in identification of high-risk patients.MethodsThe subjects were 172 patients with endometrial cancer. Patients with a histological high-grade tumor (HGT), namely, grade 3 endometrioid cancer, clear cell carcinoma or serous cell carcinoma, or with any type of cancer invading at least half of the uterine myometrium were considered high-risk. Tumors invading at least half of the uterine myometrium were classified as high-stage tumors (HST). We compared (a) detection of HGT using pre-op EB versus FS, (b) detection of HST using MRI versus FS, and (c) identification of high-risk patients using MRI + pre-op EB versus FS. Lastly, we determined to what degree addition of FS results improves identification of high-risk patients by routine MRI + pre-op EB.Results(a) Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting HGT were 59.6, 98.4 and 87.8% for pre-op EB versus 55.3, 99.2 and 87.2% for FS (P = 0.44). (b) These figures for detecting HST were 74.4, 83.0 and 80.8% for MRI versus 46.5, 99.2 and 86.0% for FS (P < 0.001). (c) These figures for identifying high-risk patients were 78.3, 85.4 and 82.6% for MRI + pre-op EB versus 55.1, 99.0 and 81.2% for FS (P < 0.001). The high specificity of FS improved the sensitivity of MRI + pre-op EB from 78.3 to 81.2%, but this difference was not statistically significant (P < 0.16).ConclusionFrozen section enables identification of high-risk patients with nearly 100% specificity. This advantage can be used to improve sensitivity for identification of high-risk patients by routine MRI + pre-op EB, although this improvement is not statistically significant.

58 Rates of unanticipated pathology at the time of hysterectomy performed for pelvic organ prolapse in an underscreened population: An observational cohort study

To describe the rates of unanticipated pathology at the time of hysterectomy performed for pelvic organ prolapse in an underscreened population. A secondary objective was to determine risk factors for unanticipated pathology. Hysterectomies performed for pelvic organ prolapse at a large public hospital between July 2007 and July 2019 were reviewed. Patients undergoing surgery for malignancy or atypical hyperplasia were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for demographic information, medical history, pre-operative work up, and final pathology. Frequencies of abnormal pathologies were calculated. Demographic and screening factors were correlated with pathologic findings by Fisher’s exact test or Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate. This study was IRB approved. Between 2007 and 2019, 759 patient cases were identified. Most patients self-identified as Hispanic (87.9 %). The median age was 57 years old and 66.5 % of patients were post-menopausal. Abnormal uterine bleeding history was present in 28.6 % of patients. The majority of patients underwent preoperative ultrasonography (65.4 %) and 38.3 % underwent preoperative endometrial biopsy. Of the 744 uterine specimens that had available histology results, there were two cases of endometrial hyperplasia and one case of endometrial cancer. Of the 729 cervical specimens that were available for review, there was one case of intraepithelial neoplasia and two cases of cervical cancer. In the 246 patients who underwent oophorectomy, no ovarian malignancies were found. Those with endometrial hyperplasia or endometrial cancer were younger than those with benign findings (P=0.05) and had a thicker endometrium on ultrasound (P=0.024). Two of the three patients who had abnormal endometrial findings at the time of hysterectomy had benign pre-operative endometrial biopsies. There were no demographic or preoperative findings that were significantly different between patients with abnormal cervical pathology and benign cervical findings (all P>0.05). For patients undergoing hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse in a public hospital setting, the rates of endometrial dysplasia or cancer were 0.4% and the rates of cervical dysplasia or cancer were 0.4%. Given that this medically under screened population underwent appropriate perioperative evaluation, these results underscore the importance of considering screening history when interpreting perioperative diagnostic results.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Preoperative predictive model of surgical planning in endometrial carcinoma using MRI and tumor grade in endometrial biopsy

Introduction: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecological cancer in developed countries. Histological grade (G) and myometrial invasion (MI) are important risk factors, and together with the histological type and other postoperative data establish the risk of lymph node involvement and guide the adjuvant treatments. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of a preoperative stratification model that combines preoperative histological grade and MI as identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to select candidates for lymph node staging and optimize surgical planning for our patients. Material and methods: It´s an observational retrospective cohort study including 294 patients diagnosed with EC at Donostia University Hospital from January 2012 to December 2017. Preoperative endometrial biopsy, including histological type and grade, preoperative MRI was compared with the definitive histological diagnosis. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the MRI-based diagnosis were calculated. Results: After inclusion and exclusion criteria 242 cases of type I or II EC were analyzed. Our model was found to have a Se of 91.4% (95% CI 83.2-95.8) and a Sp of 90.7% (95% CI 85.2-94.3). Percentage of down staging was 6.2% (15 unnecessary lymphadenectomies) and the upstaging rate was 2.9%. The NPV of the model was very high (95.4%, 95% CI 90.9-97.8). The diagnostic odds ratio for our model was 147.95 (95% CI 52.9-410.5), with a diagnostic accuracy of 91.7% (95% 87.6-94.6). Conclusions: A preoperative strategy that includes the determination of the tumor grade based on an endometrial biopsy and an assessment of MI by MRI is of great help in pre-surgical planning for endometrial cancer surgery, allowing an extra peritoneal approach and optimizing the use of physical and human resources. MRI presents excellent discriminatory power in the detection of MI in EC, with no significant variation by pathological subtype.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PREOPERATIVE ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY AND ENDOMETRIAL CURETTAGE FROM HYSTERECTOMY SPECIMEN IN PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative curettage biopsy samples and to correlate the ndings with post hysterectomy curettage samples for different endometrial pathologies. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2012 to September 2014 in the Department of Pathology in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur. Approval from institutional ethical committee was taken before starting the study. Specimens of all perimenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) who underwent endometrial biopsy and subsequent hysterectomy were studied in the Department of Pathology. Results: A total of 50 cases of clinically diagnosed patients with abnormal uterine bleeding were studied. Preoperative Endometrial curettage biopsy was followed By curettage post-hysterectomy. Biopsy ndings were correlated with post-hysterectomy curettage ndings. The age group of the patients range from 37 years to 53 years with maximum number of cases in the range of 45 to 50 years (38%). Proliferative endometrium was the most common pattern (56%) obtained by endometrial curettage biopsy as well as in post hysterectomy curettage followed by secretory endometrium. Statistical analysis of endometrial biopsy study of 48 cases showed that it has a high Sensitivity (100%), Negative predicted value (100%), Specicity (97.44%) and Positive predicted value (90.91%). The Accuracy of the test was 98%. Conclusions: While endometrial curettage biopsy using uterine curette is not the gold standard for diagnosing endometrial pathologies in AUB, it is an important diagnostic tool in the investigation for assessment of endometrium as it has few advantages.

Predicting histologic upgrading in endometrial cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify clinical determinants associated with upgrading between preoperative endometrial biopsy and postoperative histology in patients with endometrial cancer.

Preoperative and intraoperative assesment of myometrial invasion and histological grade section

Objective: The role of systematic lymphadenectomy in clinically early-stage endometrial cancer is controversial. A number of factors can predict lymph node metastasis including myometrial invasion, tumor grade in endometrial cancers. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative MRI and intraoperative frozen section in determining the depth of myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, tumor size, and lymph nodal status. We also studied the accuracy of preoperative endometrial biopsy and intraoperative frozen section in determining the grade of the tumor.

Uterine Cellular Blue Nevus Arising in Mullerian and Pelvic Dendritic Melanocytosis: Case Report of a Rare Phenomenon to Be Distinguished From Uterine Melanoma

A 37-yr-old woman presented to the gynecology clinic with abnormal uterine bleeding in the setting of known, large uterine fibroids. Preoperative endometrial biopsy identified atypical melanocytic cells concerning for uterine melanoma. Care was transferred to the gynecologic oncology service for hysterectomy. Intraoperative findings included macular, blue-black pigmentation of the peritoneum of the bladder and cervix, which was resected and sent for frozen section, confirming melanocytic neoplasia. The hysterectomy revealed multiple tan leiomyomas up to 12 cm, and a distinct 3 cm black, incompletely circumscribed mass in the endomyometrium composed of bland spindled cells with delicate melanin granules. The tumor cells were positive for Sox-10, BAP1, and Mart-1 (Melan-A) and negative for PRAME, PD-L1, and BRAFV600E by immunostains. Microscopic elements of similar melanocytes and melanophages were found in the cervix and bladder peritoneum. Molecular analysis of the uterine tumor identified a GNA11 mutation but no TERT or BAP1 mutation. The uterine melanocytic tumor has characteristic findings of a cellular blue nevus arising in association with dendritic melanocytosis of Mullerian and pelvic tissues, a rarely seen benign phenomenon that should be distinguished from malignant melanoma of the upper genital tract.

Accuracy of preoperative endometrial biopsy and intraoperative frozen section in predicting the final pathological diagnosis of endometrial cancer

BackgroundHistotype and grade of endometrial cancer (EC) are prognostic factors of nodal involvement and thus of survival. Preoperative biopsy (PB) and intraoperative frozen section (FS) are usually used to guide surgical staging on which the choice of adjuvant therapy will be based successively. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the agreement rate between PB and FS with final diagnosis (FD) in a series of surgically resected EC. MaterialsAll patients submitted to hysterectomy for EC or atypical endometrial hyperplasia in the Reggio Emilia Province hospitals from 2007 to 2018 were included. Concordance rate differences in histotype, grading, myoinvasion, risk of recurrence between PB, FS and FD were assessed with Fisher's exact test and Mc Nemar contingency test. ResultsA total of 352 patients were identified. For 345 patients it was possible to compare PB and FD results. FS examination was performed in 201/352 (57%) cases, while for 21/352 (6%) patients only an intraoperative macroscopic evaluation was done; in the remaining women, FS-exam was omitted. In 14/201 (7%) cases the tumor wasn't grossly identifiable and the random FS-sampling wasn't able to find the tumor site.High diagnostic concordance of tumor type between PB and FD was observed: no significant differences were registered in type 1 and type 2-endometrial cancer identification (83%, 73%, p = 0.121). Significant differences (p = 0.005) were observed comparing FS and FD results: 95% of type 1-ECs were correctly diagnosed by FS, while only 76% of type 2-ECs received a correct diagnosis on FS. PB showed a concordance with FD among tumor grading close to 55% whilst concordance achieved 71% grouping low grade (G1-G2) EC. No significant differences in FS and FD concordance rate were observed between tumor grades. Concordance for low grade was significantly higher than for high grade ECs (89% vs 50%, respectively, p value = 0.014).The concordance rate in evaluating the myoinvasion status between FS and FD was 80% (n: 199 patients), reaching 99% after combining the first 2 groups (0–49% vs ≥ 50%). Twenty-two cases underwent only intraoperative macroscopic evaluation of the myoinvasion, with an accuracy of 91%: only in 1 case the invasion of the cervical stroma was not detected (Stage II), and 1 case the patient was overstaged as Ib.Discrepancies were observed in FS capacity to correctly predict the final ESMO risk group in stage I patients: FS resulted particularly reliable in predicting a low-risk (concordance with FD: 91%) while the accuracy sharply decreased for intermediate- and high-risk patients (62% and 40%, respectively).To investigate the usefulness of FS in EC management, we compared patients who underwent FS (FS-group) or not (no–FS–group). Especially for low risk patients, the FS significantly increased the adequacy of surgical treatment from 53% (no–FS–group) to 72% (FS-group) (p = 0.016). ConclusionsFS remains a useful tool to tailor surgery in EC-patients, avoiding secondary surgery to complete staging particularly in patients with AH + AHBA, low and intermediate risk ECs that could benefit from adjuvant therapy.