ABSTRACT
This study assessed the utility and limitations of anal cytology as a screening method for women infected with human papilloma virus (HPV) in the lower genital tract. Furthermore, this study aimed to establish risk factors for pathological anal cytology/biopsy findings, the prevalence of anatomopathological lesions associated with positive anal brushings, and the frequency of concomitant lesions of the lower genital tract. A cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive study in 207 women with HPV-associated lesions of the lower genital tract and 25 women with immunosuppression was carried out. Anal cytology, high resolution anoscopy, and biopsy of suspicious lesions were performed. In total, 232 anal brushings were performed: 184 (79.3%) were negative, 24 (10.34%) showed atypical squamous cells of undeterminated significance, 18 (7.7%) showed low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and 6 (2.6%) showed high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Cytohistological correlation was obtained for 70 cases. The sensitivity of anal cytology in detecting intraepithelial lesions was 70%, whereas the specificity was 93%. The sensitivity of the method for detecting high-grade lesions (84%) was higher, than that for detecting low-grade lesions (66%). The most frequently associated pathology was vulvar lesion. It is important to perform anal brushings in women who have had lower genital tract biopsies for HPV-associated lesions due to the high prevalence of anal lesions in such patients. Anal cytology is useful for detecting high-grade lesions but the sensitivity for detecting low-grade lesions is low. It is of the utmost importance to perform high-resolution anoscopy and biopsy in women with suspicious lesions in order to confirm the pathology.
Subject(s)
Anus Neoplasms/diagnosis , Immunohistochemistry/statistics & numerical data , Neoplasms, Squamous Cell/diagnosis , Papillomavirus Infections/diagnosis , Vulvar Neoplasms/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Anal Canal/immunology , Anal Canal/pathology , Anus Neoplasms/immunology , Anus Neoplasms/pathology , Atypical Squamous Cells of the Cervix , Biopsy , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Immunosuppression Therapy , Middle Aged , Neoplasms, Squamous Cell/immunology , Neoplasms, Squamous Cell/pathology , Papillomaviridae/pathogenicity , Papillomavirus Infections/immunology , Papillomavirus Infections/pathology , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and Specificity , Vulvar Neoplasms/immunology , Vulvar Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We investigate whether p16INK4 and p15INK4B inhibit cellular proliferation and exert a growth suppressive effect on esophageal cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The growth suppressive effects of p16INK4 and p15INK4B were evaluated by transfecting vectors containing the p16INK4 cDNA or the p15INK4B cDNA, or both, constitutively driven by a cytomegalovirus promoter, into two human esophageal cancer cell lines containing or lacking endogenous p16INK4 and/or p15INK4B. RESULTS: These experiments demonstrated that in both cells lines tested, the numbers of cells surviving dramatically decreased in p16INK4-transfected and p15INK4B-transfected cells compared with control vector-transfected cells. There was no significant difference in the degree of growth inhibition between p16INK4-transfected and pI5INK4B-transfected cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that p16INK4 and p15INK4B play important roles in the initiation or promotion of esophageal cancer. The inactivation of p16INK4 and p15INK4B may contribute to uncontrolled growth in human cancer.