Clinical Characteristics and Long-Term Follow-up of Patients Treated for High-Grade Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia: Results From a 20-Year Survey in Italy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this survey was to evaluate the different surgical approaches for women with high-grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-VaIN) used in 8 hospitals in central and northern Italy in the last 20 years. In particular, the baseline characteristics of the patients and factors potentially leading to excisional treatment rather than ablation were considered. Moreover, the clinical outcome of patients treated for HG-VaIN (disease persistence or recurrence and progression toward invasive vaginal cancer) was analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of all women initially diagnosed with HG-VaIN and subsequently treated in 8 Italian hospitals from January 1996 to December 2016 were analyzed in a multicenter retrospective case series. RESULTS: Among the 226 women included, 116 (51.3%) underwent ablative procedures and 110 underwent excisional surgery (48.7%). An ablative procedure was preferred in cases where multiple lesions were found on colposcopic examinations. Physicians decided more frequently to perform excisional procedures in women with menopausal status, high-grade referral cervical cytology, previous hysterectomy for human papillomavirus-related disease, or VaIN 3 on colposcopic-guided biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical treatment of HG-VaIN should be tailored according to the clinical characteristics of each woman and each lesion. However, in potentially high-risk cases (VaIN 3, previous hysterectomy for human papillomavirus-related disease, and menopausal women) or in those cases in which an occult invasive disease cannot be ruled out, an excisional approach should be preferred.In any case, long-term follow-up is advisable in women treated for HG-VaIN.

Colposcopic patterns of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia: a study from the Italian Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the colposcopic patterns observed in women with a histopathological diagnosis of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN). The medical charts and the colposcopy records of women diagnosed with VaIN from January 1995 to December 2013 were analysed in a multicentre retrospective case series. The abnormal colposcopic patterns observed in women with VaIN1, VaIN2 and VaIN3 were compared. The vascular patterns and micropapillary pattern were considered separately. A grade II abnormal colposcopic pattern was more commonly observed in women with a biopsy diagnosis of VaIN3 rather than with VaIN1 or VaIN2 (P<0.001). Vascular patterns were also more common in women with VaIN3 rather than with VaIN1 or VaIN2 (P<0.001). Moreover, in women with grade I colposcopy, the rate of VaIN3 was significantly higher when a vascular pattern was observed (62.5 vs. 37.5%; P=0.04). The micropapillary pattern was more common in women with grade I colposcopy and it was more frequently observed in women with VaIN1 rather than in those with VaIN2 or VaIN3 (P<0.001). Grade II abnormal colposcopic pattern was more commonly observed in women with VaIN3. Moreover, the detection of vascular patterns appeared to be associated with more severe disease (VaIN3) even in women with grade I colposcopy, whereas the micropapillary pattern should be considered an expression of a less severe disease (VaIN1 and VaIN2).

Laser Excisional Treatment for Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia to Exclude Invasion: What Is the Risk of Complications?

OBJECTIVE: We undertook a retrospective analysis of the incidence of complications of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser excision for high-grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-VaIN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective large case series on 128 CO2 laser excisions for HG-VaIN in 106 women treated at the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Oncologic Referral Center, Aviano, Italy. These procedures were performed under local anesthesia with a 20-W continuous laser beam focused to a 0.2-mm spot size. Complications were defined as "minor" when limited to vagina, and "major" when surrounding organs were injured or the vaginal vault was opened.To identify possible factors associated with surgical complications, we performed a univariate analysis with the t test for continuous variables and χ or Fisher exact test for qualitative variables as appropriate. RESULTS: The overall rate of complication was 7.8% (10/128); nine of them were vaginal bleeding, and only one (0.8%) was a major complication with vaginal vault perforation.A greater number of previous destructive treatments and of two or more previous laser vaginal excisional treatments was present in patients with complications compared with ones without complications (10% vs 3.9 %, p = .92, and 30% vs 15.2%, p = .44, respectively), although these differences were not statistically significant. A total of 10.5% (6/57) of occult vaginal cancer was detected in women with initial diagnosis of VaIN3 (HG-VaIN) on biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Carbon dioxide laser excision for HG-VaIN seems to be a safe approach with low rate of complications, probably because of the better accuracy achieved by CO2 laser resections, and permits diagnosis of occult invasive disease.

Procedures of cervical conization: a national survey among Italian colposcopy units.

BACKGROUND: The recent evolution of surgical techniques, anesthesia and treatment strategies has led to a decrease in the number of cervical conization procedures performed in ordinary hospitalization or with anesthetics other than local infiltration anesthesia of the cervix. Conization should be as least invasive as possible, favor women's compliance and resumption of normal daily activities after surgery. We evaluated various aspects of patient care revolving around conization (technical, healthcare, and administrative aspects) in the clinical practice of 26 Italian colposcopy units. METHODS: A standard multiple-choice questionnaire was used. The retrospective study covered a period of 10 years. RESULTS: The overall number of conization procedures performed over the 10 years' observation period ranged from 20,000 to 37,500. The techniques used were the loop electrosurgical excision procedure in 79.9% of cases, CO2 laser in 16.7%, and the cold-knife biopsy in 3.4%. An outpatient regimen was reported in 62.1% of cases, a day-surgery regimen in 35.2% and an ordinary hospitalization in 2.7%. Local anesthesia, deep sedation and general anesthesia were usually performed in 86.7%, 11.9% and in 1.4% of cases, respectively. The use of prophylactic antibiotics was common only in 8% of cases. The rate of major adverse events recorded over the observed period varied between 0.04% and 0.02% (15,000-29,000 conizations). CONCLUSIONS: The administrative regimen in which conizations are performed is an expression of behaviors of different health authorities and hospitals in relation to the costs that this procedure entails.

Surgical Treatment of Paget Disease of the Vulva: Prognostic Significance of Stromal Invasion and Surgical Margin Status.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of recurrence according to the surgical margin status and the presence of invasion or of superficially invasive carcinoma in patients with extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) of the vulva, who underwent elective surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 27 patients with first diagnosis of extramammary Paget disease of the vulva, who underwent primary and elective surgical treatment from January 1989 to December 2014. A p value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounding factors. RESULTS: We observed invasive disease in 11 cases, with microinvasion in 8 of them. A positive surgical margin was found in 10 patients. During a median follow-up period of 79.5 months, 8 patients (29.6%) showed a first recurrence after a median (range) time of 4.9 (2.3-7.1) years. No significant differences were observed between patients with recurrence and patients without recurrence with respect to age, number of vulvar sectors involved, bilaterality and multifocality, presence of invasion or microinvasion, and surgical margin status. However, during the follow-up period, the presence of invasion was higher (67% vs 41%) in patients with recurrence compared with patients without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of recurrence of the disease after therapy is high. Patients should be subjected to a close and long-term follow-up to identify those who must undergo further treatment, especially if they presented with an invasive or even microinvasive disease. A free margin of no greater than 1 to 2 cm might be the most appropriate surgical choice.

Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia: Histopathological Upgrading of Lesions and Evidence of Occult Vaginal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze women treated with excisional procedures for vaginal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). The histopathological upgrading of the lesions previously detected on vaginal biopsy and the presence of occult invasive vaginal cancer in the specimens excised were investigated, to identify a higher risk subset of women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 86 women with a biopsy histopathologic diagnosis of vaginal HSIL (vaginal intraepithelial neoplasias [VaINs]: VaIN2 and VaIN3) and subsequent excisional therapy, consecutively referred to the Aviano National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy) from January 1991 to April 2014, was performed. RESULTS: Of the 86 patients, 4 cases (4.6%) of occult vaginal cancer were detected, all of them in women previously diagnosed with VaIN3 on biopsy (4/39 cases, 10.3%). Women with diagnosis of VaIN2 on biopsy showed an upgrading of lesions, with diagnosis of VaIN3 on the final specimen in 5 (10.6%) of 47 cases, with no cases of VAIN2 upgraded to invasive cancer. In 33.3% of the women initially diagnosed with VaIN2 and with previous hysterectomy for human papillomavirus-related disease, a final histopathological upgrading of lesions emerged. Furthermore, tobacco use was significantly related to the histopathological upgrading of lesions previously detected on vaginal biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Women diagnosed with VaIN3 should be treated with excisional procedures as first-line surgical approach, given the risk of occult invasive disease in 10% of the cases. Women diagnosed with VaIN2 and with previous hysterectomy for human papillomavirus-related cervical diseases should always be carefully evaluated and possibly excised, given the higher risk of histopathological upgrading of lesions and thus the potential risk of occult vaginal cancer. Tobacco users should be considered as high-risk group.

Abnormal Pap Smear and Diagnosis of High-Grade Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between the first diagnosis of high-grade Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (HG-VaIN: VaIN 2-VaIN 3) and the cytological abnormalities on the referral pap smear.All the women with histological diagnosis of HG-VaIN consecutively referred to the Gynecological Oncology Unit of the Aviano National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy) from January 1991 to April 2014 and with a pap smear performed in the 3 months before the diagnosis were considered, and an observational cohort study was performed.A total of 87 women with diagnosis of HG-VaIN were identified. Major cytological abnormalities (HSIL and ASC-H) on the referral pap smear were significantly more frequent than lesser abnormalities (ASC-US and LSIL) in postmenopausal women (64.9% vs 36.7%, P = 0.02) and in women with a previous diagnosis of HPV-related cervical preinvasive or invasive lesions (70.5% vs 39.5%, P = 0.01). Diagnosis of VaIN 3 was preceded by major cytological abnormalities in most of the cases (72.7% vs 27.3%, P < 0.001).The diagnosis of HG-VaIN can be preceded by different abnormalities on referral pap smear. Major abnormalities are usually reported in postmenopausal women and in women with previous cervical HPV-related disease. However, ASC-US or LSIL do not exclude HG-VaIN, especially VaIN2. An accurate examination of the whole vaginal walls (or vaginal vault) must be performed in all the women who underwent colposcopy for an abnormal pap smear, and a biopsy of all suspicious areas is mandatory.

Conservative treatment of microinvasive adenocarcinoma of uterine cervix: long-term follow-up.

UNLABELLED: OBIECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the safety of conservative treatment in women desiring preservation of fertility with stage IA adenocarcinoma of the cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical report of all women with stage IA adenocarcinoma of the cervix, endocervical subtype, with clear margins on cone biopsy, diagnosed in our cancer center inclusive between January 1995 and December 2007, were evaluated, after either conservative therapy or hysterectomy. All diagnoses were reviewed by a pathologist expert in gynecologic oncology. Follow-up methods include at least cervical cytology, colposcopy with direct biopsy if indicated, and cervical curettage. RESULTS: Of 783 laser cone biopsy specimens, 7 were diagnostic for microinvasive adenocarcinoma, endocervical subtype (6 stage IA1 lesions and 1 stage IA2 lesion) with clear margins. No lymphovascular space invasion was seen. No residual invasive disease was observed in the specimens of 2 patients treated with hysterectomy after conization. Five women treated with laser cone biopsy only are free of invasive disease at 44, 66, 72, 86 and 100 months; 1 patient was found to have persistent adenocarcinoma in situ on endocervical cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Cone biopsy as definitive therapy is safe in women with stage IA1 adenocarcinoma of the cervix, endocervical subtype, with clear margins and no lymphovascular space invasion. Because of the low reliability of follow-up techniques (cytology, colposcopy, and endocervical curettage), conservative treatment should be reserved only for women strongly desiring to preserve fertility and accepting the risk of recurrent disease.

Surgical treatment of recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Surgery does not have a definite role in the treatment of patients with recurrent endometrial carcinoma, except for those with central pelvic recurrences. The authors describe their experience with surgery in patients with abdominal endometrial recurrences. METHODS: Between 1988 and 2000, 75 patients with abdominal and pelvic endometrial recurrences underwent secondary rescue surgery. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of residual tumor after surgery. Therapy after rescue surgery was undertaken at the discretion of the medical oncologist. The progression-free interval and overall survival were defined as the time from secondary rescue surgery to the specific event and were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to compare survival with covariates. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (74.7%) underwent optimal debulking. Major surgical complications were observed in 23 patients (30.7%). Only 1 postoperative death was observed, although the mortality rate for surgical complications after the postoperative period was 8%. Patients who underwent optimal debulking had a significantly better cumulative survival rate compared with patients who had residual disease (36% vs. 0% at 60 months; P < 0.05). Residual disease, chemotherapy after rescue surgery, and central pelvis-vagina as the only site of recurrence were associated significantly with survival. CONCLUSIONS: The authors found that this approach was very challenging in terms of the procedures involved, the incidence of major surgical complications, and the high mortality rate. It was useful in increasing overall survival, provided that patients were free of macroscopic disease. Careful selection of patients is needed to minimize mortality.