Long-Term Clinical Outcome after Treatment for High-Grade Cervical Lesions: A Retrospective Monoinstitutional Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective observational study of women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) was to assess the long-term risk of residual/recurrent high-grade CIN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 760 women treated by loop electrosurgical excision procedure (684) or conization (76) between 2000 and 2009, and followed up to June 30, 2014 (median follow-up 6.7 years, range 4-14). Visits every 6 months for the first year after treatment and yearly for up to the following 10 years included cytology, colposcopy when indicated, and HPV testing (search and typing). RESULTS: CIN2+ or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (VAIN2+) was detected in 67 cases (8.8%), 39 at first follow-up and 28 after one/more negative visits. The risk of CIN2+ was higher in case of positive margins (odds ratio (OR) 8.04, 95% CI 4.31-15.0), type 3 transformation zone (OR for CIN3 27.7, 95% CI 2.07-36.9), CIN3+ excision (OR 6.02, 95% CI 1.73-20.9), and positive high-risk HPV test at first follow-up (OR for HPV16: 20.6, 95% CI 6.8-62.6; OR for other hrHPV types: 18.3, 95% CI 5.9-57.0). CONCLUSION: Residual/recurrent high-grade CIN occurred in <9% cases, and the risk was associated with transformation zone type, lesion grade, margins status, and hrHPV test result at 6-12 months of follow-up.

The risk of false-positive histology according to the reason for colposcopy referral in cervical cancer screening: a blind revision of all histologic lesions found in the NTCC trial.

All cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) diagnoses identified during the New Technologies for Cervical Cancer trial (ISRCTN81678807) were blindly reviewed by 2 pathologists. Original diagnoses based on colposcopy-guided biopsies were compared with those made by the reviewers who had access to all clinical histologic samples (including postsurgical). Cases downgraded from CIN 2+ by the reviewers were considered indicative of unnecessary treatments. The analyses are presented according to the molecular (high-risk human papillomavirus [HPV]) and/or cytologic diagnosis used to refer the women for colposcopy. We reviewed 812 CIN 1 and 364 CIN 2 + diagnoses. The specificity of colposcopy-guided biopsy was 98% and the sensitivity, 84%. The probability of unnecessary treatment was 27% for women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance cytologic findings and 8% for women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or worse, 10% for HPV+ and positive cytologic findings, and 16% for HPV+ alone. The positive predictive value of the first-level screening test was inversely associated with probability of a histologic false-positive result (P = .015). In screening, a low positive predictive value of the colposcopy-referring test may result in unnecessary treatments.