Clinical significance of a negative loop electrosurgical excision procedure biopsy in patients with biopsy-confirmed high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine which clinical factors can predict this phenomenon and to better understand the clinical significance of negative loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) findings through long-term follow-up. METHODS: We identified 559 patients with biopsy-confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN 2, 3) who were treated by LEEP between February 2001 and December 2010. Preconization clinical characteristics, as well as high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) status, were analyzed as possible predictors of an absence of a lesion in the specimen. The clinical significance of an absence of a lesion in the specimen, as well as other factors, was evaluated by Cox hazard regression analysis in terms of recurrence. RESULTS: No lesion on the LEEP specimen was found in 102 (18.2%) of 559 patients with CIN 2,3 on punch biopsy. Punch biopsy status of CIN 2, low HPV viral load (<100 relative light units [RLU]), and negative or positive HPV infection other than type 16 were significantly related to no lesion in the LEEP specimen. Postoperative HPV persistence (≥10 RLU) and same-type HPV detection were significantly related to recurrent disease of CIN 2+ (p < .001). The recurrence of patients with no lesion in LEEP did not statistically differ from that of patients with a lesion in the LEEP specimen (p = .390). CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a lesion in the LEEP specimen is very common. A negative LEEP is associated with a persistence/recurrence rate similar to that of positive LEEP. We recommend that the follow-up for patients with no lesion in the LEEP specimen should be the same as that for patients with a lesion.

Metastasis of colon cancer to medullary thyroid carcinoma: a case report.

Metastasis to the primary thyroid carcinoma is extremely rare. We report here a case of colonic adenocarcinoma metastasis to medullary thyroid carcinoma in a 53-yr old man with a history of colon cancer. He showed a nodular lesion, suggesting malignancy in the thyroid gland, in a follow-up examination after colon cancer surgery. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the thyroid gland showed tumor cell clusters, which was suspected to be medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy. Using several specific immunohistochemical stains, the patient was diagnosed with colonic adenocarcinoma metastasis to MTC. To the best of our knowledge, the present patient is the first case of colonic adenocarcinoma metastasizing to MTC. Although tumor-tumor metastasis to primary thyroid carcinoma is very rare, we still should consider metastasis to the thyroid gland, when a patient with a history of other malignancy presents with a new thyroid finding.

Human papillomavirus type 16 causes larger colposcopic lesions than other HPV types in patients with grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 causes more definite visual abnormalities on cervigram than other HPV types and is thus easier to evaluate colposcopically. We examined factors, including HPV-16, related to colposcopic lesions in patients with grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 3). METHODS: A retrospective chart review included 108 women with CIN 3 who underwent the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). Lesions were assessed according to the number of cervical quadrant(s) involved by colposcopy, dichotomized as 2 or fewer or 3 or more quadrants involved. The Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) test and HPV DNA chip assay (MyGene Co, Seoul, Korea) were used to detect HPV before punch biopsy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure. The type of HPV was dichotomized as HPV-16 or other (including negative cases). The HC2 viral load cutoff was 300 relative light units. Cytology was dichotomized as (1) low grade, less than, or equal to low-grade squamous lesions; or (2) high-grade, with high-grade squamous lesions or worse. Age and menopausal status were also assessed. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the 108 women was 41.9 (10.7) years (range = 22-76 y). Seventy-one (65.7%) had lesions involving 2 quadrants or fewer and 37 (34.3%) had lesions involving 3 quadrants or more. Multiple logistic regression revealed that larger lesions (≥3 quadrants involved) were significantly associated with HPV-16 (p = .032, odds ratio [OR] = 2.552, 95% confidence interval = 1.085-6.000) but not with age, menopausal status, cytologic grade, or HPV HC2 viral load. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that colposcopic lesions differ according to HPV type and that HPV-16 is associated with larger lesions, facilitating lesion detection by colposcopy.

Lung nodule detected by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, negative 131I whole body scan, and undetectable serum-stimulated thyroglobulin levels: two case reports.

INTRODUCTION: When a pulmonary nodular lesion is detected by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in a patient with post-surgical papillary thyroid carcinoma with undetectable serum-stimulated thyroglobulin levels and negative 131I whole body scan, diagnosis and management of the nodule may be confusing. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe two post-surgical patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who showed pulmonary nodular lesions detected by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography. In both cases serum-stimulated thyroglobulin levels were undetectable and nodular lesions were not detected by 131I whole body scan. In the first case, a 64-year-old Asian woman showed one focal increased fluorodeoxyglucose uptake lesion in the right lower lobe of one of her lungs. Based on the histologic study, the pulmonary nodular lesion was diagnosed as a solitary pulmonary metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma. In the second case, a 59-year-old Asian woman showed a new pulmonary nodule in the right lower lobe. The computed tomography scan of her chest revealed a 9mm nodule in the anterior basal segment and another tiny nodule in the posterior basal segment of the right lower lobe. Six months later, both nodules had increased in size and miliary disseminated nodules were also seen in both lungs. Based on their histology, the pulmonary nodular lesions were considered to be primary lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The present cases emphasize that physicians should be cautious and make efforts for an accurate diagnosis of pulmonary nodules detected on F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma with no evidence of metastasis such as negative 131I whole body scan and undetectable stimulated serum thyroglobulin levels.

Early human papillomavirus testing predicts residual/recurrent disease after LEEP.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive factors for residual/recurrent disease and to analyze the timing for Pap smears and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing during follow-up after loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 or worse. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 183 patients (mean age, 39.3 years) with CIN 2/3 who were treated with LEEP. Post-LEEP follow-up was performed by Pap smear and HPV hybrid capture2 (HC2) testing. The definition of persistent/recurrent disease was biopsy-proven CIN 2 or worse. RESULTS: Among 183 patients, punch biopsies were CIN 2 in 31 (16.9%) and CIN 3 in 152 (83.1%). HPV HC2 tests before LEEP were positive in 170 (95.5%) of 178 patients. During follow-up, 12 patients (6.6%) had residual/recurrent CIN 2+. LEEP margin status was a significant predictive factor for persistent/recurrent disease. Other factors such as age, HPV HC2 viral load (≥100 relative light units), and HPV typing (type 16/18 vs. other types) did not predict recurrence. Early HPV HC2 testing at 3 months after LEEP detected all cases of residual/recurrent disease. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of the HPV HC2 test for residual/recurrent disease were both 100% at 3 and 6 months. CONCLUSION: Margin involvement in conization specimens was a significant factor predicting residual/recurrent disease after LEEP. HPV test results at 3 and 6 months after treatment were comparable. Early 3-month follow-up testing after LEEP can offer timely information about residual/recurrent disease and alleviate patient anxiety early about treatment failure.

Random biopsy after colposcopy-directed biopsy improves the diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the usefulness of additional random biopsies in the diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN 2) or worse (CIN 2+) after colposcopy-directed biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed in 107 women with satisfactory colposcopy results after colposcopy-directed biopsy with random biopsy for abnormal cervical cytological evaluation at Soonchunhyang University Hospital between April 2008 and November 2009. Random biopsies were performed at the cervical squamocolumnar junction in lesion-free quadrants of the cervix. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure conizations were performed in 59 women. Age, referral cytology, lesion size, human papilloma virus (HPV) viral load, and HPV type were analyzed as possible indicators of lesion severity detected using random biopsy. RESULTS: The mean age was 39.3 years (range = 21-72 y), and 96 (89.7%) women were premenopausal. Sixty-three women had CIN 2+; of those, 8 (12.7%) were diagnosed using random biopsies: 6 had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; 1 had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; and 1 had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance. Lesions diagnosed as CIN 2+ using random biopsies were significantly correlated with high-grade cytology (p <.001) and lesion size (p <.001) but not age (cutoff = 40 years), HPV viral load (cutoff = 300 relative light units; Hybrid Capture 2), or HPV genotype. Of 59 patients who underwent loop electrosurgical excision procedure conization, the disease severity of 9 (15.3%) cases was upgraded 1 or more grades, compared with the punch biopsy results. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of CIN 2+, particularly high-grade cytological abnormalities and large lesion size, can be increased by additional random biopsies after satisfactory colposcopy. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure conization can detect lesions not detected by punch biopsy.