Prognostic value of endocervical sampling following loop excision of high grade intraepithelial neoplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of additional biopsies performed with loop electrosurgical excisional procedure (LEEP) in predicting the likelihood of persistent high grade intraepithelial neoplasia. METHODS: Clinicopathologic data were abstracted from women who underwent excision of high grade intraepithelial lesions between 2001 and 2014. Persistent disease was defined as uninterrupted high grade intraepithelial neoplasia, whereas recurrent disease was defined as disease diagnosed ≥1year after treatment with intervening normal evaluation. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to examine associations between demographic and histologic parameters and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 606 women underwent LEEP for high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL), of whom, 178 (29%) were additionally evaluated by endocervical curettage, 80 (13%), top hat and 99 (16%), both procedures. With mean follow-up of 1.9±1.5years, persistent disease was identified in 87 women (14%) while recurrent disease was diagnosed in 20 (3%). After adjusting for age, HIV status and histologic grade of disease, the presence of disease at the endocervical margin (aOR=2.2, 95% CL 1.8-5.5, p<0.0001), with endocervical curettage (aOR=2.39, 95% CL 1.2-9.9, p=0.025) or on top hat (aOR=4.0, 95% CL 1.1-16.2, p=0.04) correlated with the likelihood of persistent but not recurrent disease. Only endocervical margin status remained predictive (p=0.03) of outcome after controlling for pre-procedure likelihood of endocervical disease. Sensitivity of endocervical margin status for persistent disease was 56.9% with specificity of 72.2%. Positive predictive value (PPV) was 24.9% and negative predictive value (NPV) 90.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite frequent use of additional procedures to sample the endocervix, these strategies do not improve the ability of endocervical margin status to predict persistent or recurrent dysplasia.

The effect of tamoxifen and raloxifene on estrogen metabolism and endometrial cancer risk.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) demonstrate differential endometrial cancer (EC) risk. While tamoxifen (TAM) use increases the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and malignancy, raloxifene (RAL) has neutral effects on the uterus. How TAM increases the risk of EC and why TAM and RAL differentially modulate the risk for EC, however, remain elusive. Here, we tested the hypothesis that TAM increases the risk for EC, at least in part, by enhancing the local estrogen biosynthesis and directing estrogen metabolism towards the formation of genotoxic and hormonally active estrogen metabolites. In addition, the differential effects of TAM and RAL in EC risk are attributed to their differential effect on estrogen metabolism/metabolites. The endometrial cancer cell line (Ishikawa cells) and the nonmalignant immortalized human endometrial glandular cell line (EM1) were used for the study. The profile of estrogen/estrogen metabolites (EM), depurinating estrogen-DNA adducts, and the expression of estrogen-metabolizing enzymes in cells treated with 17ß-estradiol (E2) alone or in combination with TAM or RAL were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS(2)), ultraperformance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and Western blot analysis, respectively. TAM significantly increased the total EM and enhanced the formation of hormonally active and carcinogenic estrogen metabolites, 4-hydroxestrone (4-OHE1) and 16α-hydroxyestrone, with concomitant reduction in the formation of antiestrogenic and anticarcinogenic 2-hydroxyestradiol and 2-methoxyestradiol. Furthermore, TAM increased the formation of depurinating estrogen-DNA adducts 4-OHE1 [2]-1-N7Guanine and 4-OHE1 [2]-1-N3 Adenine. TAM-induced alteration in EM and depurinating DNA adduct formation is associated with altered expression of estrogen metabolizing enzymes CYP1A1, CYP1B1, COMT, NQO1, and SF-1 as revealed by Western blot analysis. In contrast to TAM, RAL has minimal effect on EM, estrogen-DNA adduct formation, or estrogen-metabolizing enzymes expression. These data show that TAM perturbs the balance of estrogen-metabolizing enzymes and alters the disposition of estrogen metabolites, which can explain, at least in part, the mechanism for TAM-induced EC. These results also implicate the differential effect of TAM and RAL on estrogen metabolism/metabolites as a potential mechanism for their disparate effects on the endometrium.