Vaginal hysterectomy for the treatment of low-risk endometrial cancer: Surgical technique, costs, and perioperative and oncologic results.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe an operative technique for vaginal hysterectomy (VH) and assess the costs, perioperative, and oncological outcomes for this procedure when used in the treatment of patients with low-risk endometrial cancer (LREC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of medical records was conducted on patients who underwent VH to treat precursor and invasive endometrial lesions between April 2019 and November 2021 at a single center in São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean patient age was 61.9 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 34. Obese patients (BMI ≥ 30) accounted for 77% of the sample. Preoperative functional capacity measures were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1 and ECOG-2 for 91% and 9% of the patients, respectively. The mean operative time and length of hospital stay were 109 min and 1.2 days, respectively. Four patients had a conversion of the surgical route to laparotomy. No major intraoperative complications were observed. Patients who underwent surgical conversion had a greater uterine volume (227 versus 107 mL, p = 0.006) and longer operative time (177 versus 96 min, p = 0.001). The total cost associated with VH was, on average, US$ 2058.77 (R$ 10,925.91), representing 47% of the cost associated with non-vaginal routes. Twenty-eight patients received a definitive diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma; of these, three received adjuvant radiotherapy. The mean follow-up period was 34.6 months for the patients diagnosed with cancer. One case of disease recurrence occurred 16.6 months after surgery, with one death at 28.6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that VH could be a feasible and cost-effective alternative for selected patients with LREC in low-resource settings.

Differential diagnoses of endometrial thickness: A case report.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease defined by the World Health Organization as a global priority. Extrapulmonary forms include lymph nodal, pleural and urogenital disease (FGTB), which generally affect patients between 20 and 40 years of age, and is rare in postmenopausal women. Its presentation can mimic carcinomatosis due to advanced ovarian and/or endometrial cancer. Non-diagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatment, notably surgical procedures, instead of the standard medical anti-TB chemotherapy.

L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) in stage IB cervical cancer: distinct expression in squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas.

AIMS: L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) has been shown to be correlated with tumour progression, attributed to its possible association with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), characterised by the expression of vimentin and loss of e-cadherin. Herein, we investigate the associations between L1CAM and clinicopathological parameters, as well as the expression of vimentin and e-cadherin, in carcinomas restricted to the cervix. METHODS: The study was retrospective observational and included 45 squamous cell carcinomas (63.4%) and 26 adenocarcinomas (36.6%) submitted to primary surgical treatment. Patient age, FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage, tumour size and follow-up were obtained from the medical records. All the slides were revised to evaluate histological differentiation, lymphovascular space invasion, depth of infiltration, disease-free cervical wall thickness, pattern of invasion front, Silva pattern (for adenocarcinomas) and the percentage of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes. Tissue microarrays were constructed for immunohistochemical staining for L1CAM, e-cadherin and vimentin. RESULTS: Adenocarcinomas were associated with lower disease-free and overall survival. L1CAM and vimentin expressions were more frequent among adenocarcinomas, although loss of e-cadherin expression was more common among squamous carcinomas. L1CAM expression was associated with larger tumours, vimentin expression and lower disease-free survival. No association was observed between the expression of either L1CAM or vimentin and loss of e-cadherin. High levels of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes were more frequent in squamous cell carcinoma, high-grade tumours, destructive pattern at front of invasion and loss of e-cadherin expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the prognostic role of L1CAM in cervical carcinomas, but suggest a role for mechanisms other than EMT.

Ten years of experience with endometrial cancer treatment in a single Brazilian institution: Patient characteristics and outcomes.

Few reports have described the clinical and prognostic characteristics of endometrial cancer, which is increasing worldwide, in large patient series in Brazil. Our objective was to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors, and outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer treated and followed at a tertiary Brazilian institution over a 10-year period.This retrospective study included 703 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer who were treated at a public academic tertiary hospital between 2008 and 2018. The following parameters were analyzed: age at diagnosis, race, body mass index, serum CA125 level before treatment; histological type and grade, and surgical stage. Outcomes were reported relative to histological type, surgical staging, serum CA125, lymph-vascular space involvement (LVSI), and lymph-node metastasis. The median patient age at diagnosis was 63 (range, 27-93) years (6.4% were <50 years). Minimally invasive surgeries were performed in 523 patients (74.4%). Regarding histological grade, 468 patients (66.5%) had low-grade endometrioid histology and 449 patients (63.9%) had stage I tumors. Tumors exceeded 2.0 cm in 601 patients (85.5%). Lymphadenectomy was performed in 551 cases (78.4%). LVSI was present in 208 of the patients' tumors (29.5%). Ninety-three patients (13.2%) had recurrent tumors and 97 (13.7%) died from their malignant disease. The robust prognostic value of FIGO stage and lymph node status were confirmed. Other important survival predictors were histological grade and LVSI [overall survival: hazard ratio (HR) = 3.75, p < 0.001 and HR = 2.01, p = 0.001; recurrence: HR = 2.49, p = 0.004 and HR = 3.22, p = 0.001, respectively). Disease-free (p = 0.087) and overall survival (p = 0.368) did not differ significantly between patients with stage II and III disease. These results indicate that prognostic role of cervical involvement should be explored further. This study reports the characteristics and outcomes of endometrial cancer in a large population from a single institution, with systematic surgical staging, a predominance of minimally invasive procedures, and well-documented outcomes. Prognostic factors in the present study population were generally similar to those in other countries, though our patients' tumors were larger than in studies elsewhere due to later diagnosis. Our unexpected finding of similar prognoses of stage II and III patients raises questions about the prognostic value of cervical involvement and possible differences between carcinomas originating in the lower uterine segment versus those originating in the body and fundus. The present findings can be used to guide public policies aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer in Brazil and other similar countries.

Dual p16 and Ki-67 Expression in Liquid-Based Cervical Cytological Samples Compared to Pap Cytology Findings, Biopsies, and HPV Testing in Cervical Cancer Screening: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to verify the sensitivity and specificity of dual immunocytochemistry staining for p16 and Ki-67 in liquid-based samples (the "dual" assay) for cervical lesion screening, compared to biopsy findings and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA molecular detection. STUDY DESIGN: Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values for the "dual immunocytochemistry assay" were calculated and compared to histopathological results and to high-risk HPV DNA detection in adult women or teenagers submitted to cervical cancer screening. RESULTS: A total of 151 women were included. The majority (96.2%) of those with negative dual assay results had lower biopsy grades (p < 0.001). Women with cytology results suggestive of cervical cancer had positive dual immunocytochemistry assay results more frequently (p < 0.001), and these positive results were also significantly associated with biopsy findings (p < 0.001) and with high-risk genotype HPV infection (p = 0.007). Specificity and PPV for the dual assay were 0.972 (0.855-0.999) and 0.800 (0.284-0.995), respectively, and 1.000 (0.590-1.000) and 1.000 (0.631-1.000) for HPV detection. CONCLUSIONS: The dual immunocytochemistry assay had high specificity and PPV. It reveals a persistent HPV infection, avoiding the need for new tissue collections for biopsies or hybrid capture.

Cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions grades 1 and 2: value of an alternative morphological classification and of p16 immunohistochemistry in the prediction of clinical outcome / Lesões intraepiteliais escamosas cervicais graus 1 e 2: valor de uma classificação morfológica alternativa e do estudo imuno-histoquímico com p16 na predição do desfecho clínico

ABSTRACT Introduction: Diagnostic reproducibility and determination of prognostic factors in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grades 1 and 2 are still relevant problems in the daily practice of gynecological histopathology. Objective: To correlate the value of morphological reclassification and of p16 immunoexpression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grades 1 and 2 with clinical outcome. Materials and methods: Sixty-six patients were included (34 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1, and 32 with grade 2); an immunohistochemical study with p16 and reclassification according to the Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) Consensus and by the alternative proposal of Herfs and Crum were done; unfavorable outcome was defined as a subsequent histologic diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Results: We observed superior performance of the alternative morphological classification (p = 0.002) to determine unfavorable outcome. We also detected superior performance of p16 in the same determination (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The use of an alternative morphological classification is promising; in the context of the use of immunohistochemical antibodies as biomarkers, p16 showed good sensitivity and negative predictive value in the determination of cases in which the outcome was unfavorable.

RESUMO Introdução: A reproducibilidade diagnóstica e a determinação de fatores prognósticos em neoplasias intraepiteliais cervicais graus 1 e 2 ainda são problemas relevantes na prática diária da histopatologia ginecológica. Objetivo: Correlacionar o valor da reclassificação morfológica e da imunoexpressão do marcador p16 em neoplasias intraepiteliais cervicais graus 1 e 2 com o desfecho clínico. Materiais e métodos: Incluídas 66 pacientes (34 com neoplasia intraepitelial cervical grau 1 e 32 com grau 2); realizou-se estudo imuno-histoquímico com p16 e reclassificação segundo o Consenso Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) e a proposta alternativa de Herfs e Crum; desfecho desfavorável foi definido como diagnóstico histológico subsequente de neoplasia intraepitelial cervical grau 3 ou carcinoma de células escamosas invasivo. Resultados: Observamos performance superior da classificação morfológica alternativa (p = 0,002) para determinação de desfecho desfavorável. Também detectamos performance superior do marcador p16 na mesma determinação (p = 0,002). Conclusão: A utilização de uma classificação morfológica alternativa é promissora. No âmbito da utilização dos anticorpos imuno-histoquímicos como biomarcadores, o p16 apresentou boa sensibilidade e valor preditivo negativo na determinação dos casos em que o desfecho foi desfavorável.