Management of the abnormal Papanicolaou smear and colposcopy in pregnancy: an evidenced-based review.

Women diagnosed with abnormal Papanicolau smears or cervical abnormalities during pregnancy present a challenge to health care providers, as conventional management guidelines appropriate for the non-pregnant population may be contraindicated. The physiologic effects of pregnancy that may result in greater difficulty with the colposcopic examination include increased cervical mucus production that may obscure visualization, cervical hyperemia, gland prominence, and eversion of the columnar epithelium. The squamo-columnar junction may also be difficult to visualize in early pregnancy, but will often evert as the pregnancy continues. Because of these changes, cervical dysplasia may have a more prominent appearance in the gravid patient. Therefore, colposcopy should be performed by a skilled examiner with expertise in the cervical changes of pregnancy. The primary goal of colposcopy during pregnancy is to exclude the presence of invasive cancer, and thus, many cervical lesions may be followed with serial cytology and colposcopy during pregnancy or by deferring further colposcopic examination until the postpartum period. Cervical biopsy should be avoided unless a malignancy is suspected and endocervical sampling is contraindicated. Herein, we present a contemporary, evidence-based review of the colposcopic examination and guidelines for triaging and evaluating abnormal cervical cytology and lesions that are diagnosed during pregnancy.

Upper abdominal cytoreduction and thoracoscopy for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: unanswered questions and the impact on treatment.

Gynaecological oncologists, by conducting Phase II and III chemotherapy trials, have sought to improve survival in women with epithelial ovarian cancer. The greatest impact on survival has been the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in women who have had all visible disease removed. No change in drug regimen has had an impact on survival equivalent to that associated with complete cytoreduction or the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Interestingly, these two treatment modalities (complete cytoreduction and intraperitoneal chemotherapy) have not been universally adopted. Most often it is the inability to achieve optimal cytoreduction in the upper abdomen that defines the limit of the cytoreductive effort, and ultimately the integration of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The importance of identifying disease outside the abdominal cavity, along with achieving complete cytoreduction, is paramount, if the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy is to be logically integrated in treatment algorithms for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. This report summarises pertinent literature on upper abdominal cytoreduction, discusses surgical techniques and introduces new data on women with epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing thoracoscopy, suggesting consideration of its incorporation into the surgical management of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Racial disparities in surgical care for uterine cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of race and surgical approach for women who underwent surgical treatment for uterine cancer. METHODS: The design was a retrospective cohort study of discharge data from nonfederal acute care hospitals in Maryland from 2000 to 2009. Women aged 18 and older who underwent hysterectomy for uterine cancer were included in the study population. The main outcome measure was receipt of lymphadenectomy. Secondary outcomes included receipt of minimally-invasive surgical approach, in-hospital mortality and individual surgeon and individual hospital annual uterine cancer case volume. The independent variable was race. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals for each outcome of interest. Caucasians were the reference group. RESULTS: Among 5470 women who underwent hysterectomy, 2727 (49.9%) underwent lymphadenectomy and 512 (9.4%) underwent surgery through a minimally-invasive approach. After adjusting for age, payer status and APR-DRG mortality risk score, African-Americans were more likely to be operated on by high-volume surgeons (adjusted OR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.09-1.49) yet were less likely to undergo minimally-invasive surgery (adjusted OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.45-0.80). For the outcome of lymphadenectomy, there was no significant difference between Caucasians and African-Americans (OR=1.13, 95% CI: 0.98-1.30). There was no association between race and in-hospital mortality or between race and the odds of undergoing surgery at a high-volume hospital. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective analysis of uterine cancer patients, race is associated with likelihood of undergoing surgery through a minimally-invasive approach. Further analysis using prospectively collected data with more detail regarding peri-operative parameters is needed to further clarify possible reasons for this disparity.

Beneficial effect on average lipid levels from energy restriction and fat loss in obese individuals with or without type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The risk of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes is greater than is accounted for by conventional risk factors. We investigated whether energy restriction or modest fat loss improved the lipid profile in obese subjects with and without type 2 diabetes. The relationship of site of adipose tissue loss to lipid changes was also examined. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Lipid levels were measured in 18 subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 9, BMI = 31.5 +/- 0.8 [SEM] kg/m2) or type 2 diabetes (n = 9, BMI = 31.8 +/- 0.7) before and on the 4th (d4) and 28th (d28) days of a hypocaloric formula diet. Body composition was assessed with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry on d0 and d28. RESULTS: Mean daily energy intake during the diet was 1,100 +/- 60 kcal (33% protein, 38% carbohydrate, and 29% fat). Mean weight loss was 6.2 +/- 0.4 kg. Initial lipid profiles were similar in subjects with or without diabetes, and diabetes did not affect the responses. Dietary intervention resulted in early (d4) and late (d28) changes. Energy restriction (d4) reduced VLDL cholesterol and total triglyceride (TG) concentrations and increased LDL particle size. LDL TG, and LDL apolipoprotein B (apoB) concentrations. Reduction in central abdominal fat (but not other body fat) was correlated with a less atherogenic lipid profile: delta abdominal fat versus delta LDL free cholesterol, r = 0.65, P = 0.006 and versus delta apoB, r = 0.64, P = 0.008. CONCLUSIONS: Even in obese subjects with an average lipid profile, modest weight loss reduces atherogenicity, independently of type 2 diabetes, and abdominal fat loss is specifically related to such improvements.

Will older sedentary people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus start exercising? A health promotion model.

Exercise and diet are the cornerstones of management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Many older people have difficulty in exercising, missing benefits on glycaemic control, weight, cardiac disease and mood. We report the outcomes of a 6 month structured exercise and support programme based on a health promotion model, on physical activity, glycaemic control and parameters of cardiovascular risk in non-exercisers, compared with standard outpatient clinic education. A total of 26 non-exercising patients were randomised to an intervention or control group (ten men, 16 women; mean age (+/- S.D.) 60 +/- 8 years). Programme participation was not associated with any significant increase in activity. Glycated hemoglobin (HbAtc) levels tended to stabilise in the intervention group during the 6 month programme and to deteriorate in the control group (P = 0.03); by 12 months HbA1C levels deteriorated to a similar level in both. Programme participation did not cause significant change in anthropometric or metabolic parameters. Examining the cohort as a whole, increased activity over 6 months was associated with improvements in weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat and fasting insulin. Activity increases over 12 months were associated with improvements in weight and BMI. These changes could not be attributed to changes in energy intake or dietary composition. We conclude that while exercise can benefit older people with NIDDM, a programme based on a model of health promotion was not effective in increasing physical activity.