Risk factors for vaginal squamous intra-epithelial lesions in women with high-grade cervical lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the high-risk factors associated with concurrent cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) and vaginal intra-epithelial neoplasia (VaIN) in patients with high-grade lesions. METHODS: This retrospective study at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University included patients diagnosed with concurrent CIN2/3 and VaIN2/3 (concurrent group) over the period from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. Patients with only CIN2/3 during the corresponding period were selected chronologically on a 1:2 basis (CIN group). Demographic data, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection rates, genotypes, and cytology results were compared between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients were included. The median age in the concurrent group was 50 years (range 20-79), which was significantly higher than the median age of 38 (range 23-72) in the CIN group (p<0.001). The cytological sensitivity for identifying high-grade lesions was markedly higher in the concurrent group at 83.1% (103 out of 124) compared with 68.4% (175 out of 256) in the CIN-only group (p=0.002). The prevalence of HPV 16 was 62.8% in the concurrent group, significantly higher than 51.6% in the CIN group (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of concurrent VaIN2/3 increases with age among women with CIN2/3. Cytology screening is effective for detecting concurrent VaIN2/3, with a sensitivity of 83.1%.

The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD), the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD), and the European Federation for Colposcopy (EFC) consensus statement on the management of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia.

The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD), the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD), and the European Federation for Colposcopy (EFC) developed consensus statements on pre-invasive vulvar lesions in order to improve the quality of care for patients with vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN). The management of VaIN varies according to the grade of the lesion: VaIN 1 (low grade vaginal squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL)) can be subjected to follow-up, while VaIN 2-3 (high-grade vaginal SIL) should be treated. Treatment needs individualization according to the patient's characteristics, disease extension and previous therapeutic procedures. Surgical excision is the mainstay of treatment and should be performed if invasion cannot be excluded. Total vaginectomy is used only in highly selected cases of extensive and persistent disease. Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser may be used as both an ablation method and an excisional one. Reported cure rates after laser excision and laser ablation are similar. Topical agents are useful for persistent, multifocal lesions or for patients who cannot undergo surgical treatment. Imiquimod was associated with the lowest recurrence rate, highest human papillomavirus (HPV) clearance, and can be considered the best topical approach. Trichloroacetic acid and 5-fluorouracil are historical options and should be discouraged. For VaIN after hysterectomy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3, laser vaporization and topical agents are not the best options, since they cannot reach epithelium buried in the vaginal scar. In these cases surgical options are preferable. Brachytherapy has a high overall success rate but due to late side effects should be reserved for poor surgical candidates, having multifocal disease, and with failed prior treatments. VaIN tends to recur and ensuring patient adherence to close follow-up visits is of the utmost importance. The first evaluation should be performed at 6 months with cytology and an HPV test during 2 years and annually thereafter. The implementation of vaccination against HPV infection is expected to contribute to the prevention of VaIN and thus cancer of the vagina. The effects of treatment can have an impact on quality of life and result in psychological and psychosexual issues which should be addressed. Patients with VaIN need clear and up-to-date information on a range of treatment options including risks and benefits, as well as the need for follow-up and the risk of recurrence.

The impact of distance to closest negative margin on survival after pelvic exenteration.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of distance to closest negative margin on survival after pelvic exenteration (PE). METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of PE at Moffitt Cancer Center from 2000 to 2019, baseline characteristics, clinical details, and outcomes were ascertained. Distance to closest negative margin was measured. Close and distant negative margins were defined as <3 mm and ≥3 mm from malignancy to nearest surgical margin, respectively. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined, and Kaplan-Meier curves were compared. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of margin status with OS and PFS. RESULTS: Of 124 PEs with malignancy, 80 (64.5%) had negative margins. Median survival was 62 (95% confidence interval [CI] 27-70) months for negative and 21 (95% CI 15-29) months for positive margins. Of 76 with negative margins and documented margin length, 26 had close and 50 had distant margins. Median survival was 32 (95% CI 14-62) months for close and 111 (95% CI 42-166) months for distant margins. Distant margins were associated with improved OS (p = 0.0054) and PFS (p = 0.0099) compared to close margins. After adjusting for other prognostic factors, patients with distant margins had significantly decreased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19-0.78; p = 0.008) and progression (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.23-0.99; p = 0.04) compared to positive margins. No significant differences in OS or PFS were observed between close and positive margins. This survival benefit remained among those with cervical cancer. Median survival in this cohort was 34.1 (95% CI 2.0-69.8) months for close and 165.7 (95% CI 24.5-165.7) for distant margins. CONCLUSIONS: Distant margins following PE are associated with improved OS and PFS compared to close margins.

Combined modality including novel sensitizers in gynecological cancers.

Standard treatment of locally advanced gynecological cancers relies mainly on platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by brachytherapy. Current chemotherapeutic drugs are only transiently effective and patients with advanced disease often develop resistance and subsequently, distant metastases despite significant initial responses of the primary tumor. In addition, some patients still develop local failure or progression, suggesting that there is still a place for increasing the anti-tumor radiation effect. Several strategies are being developed to increase the probability of curing patients. Vaginal cancer and vulva cancer are rare diseases, which resemble cervical cancer in their histology and pathogenesis. These gynecological cancers are predominantly associated with human papilloma virus infection. Treatment strategies in other unresectable gynecologic cancers are usually derived from evidence in locally advanced cervical cancers. In this review, we discuss mechanisms by which novel therapies could work synergistically with conventional chemoradiotherapy, from pre-clinical and ongoing clinical data. Trimodal, even quadrimodal treatment are currently being tested in clinical trials. Novel combinations derived from a metastatic setting, and being tested in locally advanced tumors, include anti-angiogenic agents, immunotherapy, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes therapy, adoptive T-cell therapy and apoptosis inducers to enhance chemoradiotherapy efficacy through complementary molecular pathways. In parallel, radiosensitizers, such as nanoparticles and radiosensitizers of hypoxia aim to maximize the effect of radiotherapy locally.

Clinical and ultrasound characteristics of vaginal lesions.

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasound examination represents the most important diagnostic method to preoperatively assess gynecological diseases. However, the ultrasound characteristics of vaginal pathologies are poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and ultrasound characteristics of vaginal lesions detected at ultrasound. METHODS: This was a single center, prospective, observational study including patients with vaginal masses examined from January 2017 to May 2019. Morphologic sonographic characteristics of the lesions were described as unilocular, multilocular, unilocular-solid, multilocular-solid, and solid. For the analysis, patients were grouped into a 'malignant group', including patients with confirmed malignancy at final histology, and a 'benign group', including patients with a confirmed benign pathology at final histology and patients without a histological diagnosis but with a lesion that manifested no changes during follow-up. RESULTS: 44 patients were enrolled. 22 (50%) of 44 lesions were benign: 12 (54.5%) of these underwent ultrasound follow-up and did not show any changes at the 12 month follow-up whereas 10 (45.5%) lesions had surgical excision which confirmed the benign nature. The remaining 22 (50%) of 44 lesions underwent surgery because of suspicion of malignancy: histology confirmed a malignancy in 20 (90.9%) of 22 cases. Benign lesions were described as follow: 11/24 (45.8%) unilocular, 3/24 (12.5%) multilocular with two locules, and 10/24 (41.7%) solid lesions. Malignant lesions were solid in 19/20 (95%) cases and multilocular-solid in 1/20 (5%). Most benign lesions had a color score of 1-2 (20/24, 83.4%) while malignant lesions had a color score of 3-4 (18/20, 90%). CONCLUSION: A typical ultrasound image of a benign lesion was a unilocular cyst or hypoechoic solid mass with no or minimal vascularization on color Doppler examination. Malignant vaginal lesions were hypoechoic solid tumors with irregular margins and moderate/rich vascularization or multilocular-solid. Ultrasound should be used to supplement the clinician in the management of vaginal lesions.

In vivo optical cellular diagnosis for uterine cervical or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia using flexible gastrointestinal endocytoscopy -a prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUUND: For patients with any kind of atypical squamous intraepithelial lesion of the uterine cervix or vagina, colposcopy and punch biopsy are common procedures for histological determination following cytology. However, colposcopy-guided biopsy does not provide a high level of diagnostic accuracy. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of optical biopsy in vivo using endocytoscopy compared with conventional procedures using colposcopy. METHODS: Between May 2018 and March 2019, patients who were scheduled for cervical conization or mapping biopsies of the vagina were prospectively enrolled. Endocytoscopy was performed by senior endoscopists prior to scheduled procedures, and endocytoscopic images and biopsy samples were taken from the most prominent site and surrounding area of the cervical or vaginal lesions. The collection process of images was randomized and anonymous, and three doctors separately evaluated the images according to the ECA classification. ECA 4 and 5 are indicative of endoscopic malignancy. The primary endpoint was diagnostic accuracy (benign or malignant: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) 3 or worse) of cell images at the most prominent site in each patient. RESULTS: A total of 28 consecutive patients were enrolled. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of endocytoscopic images were 95.0% (84.8-98.6%), 87.5% (61.9-96.5%), 95.0% (84.8-98.6%), 87.5% (61.9-96.5%) and 92.9% (78.2-98.0%), respectively. Inter-observer agreement among three reviewers was 0.78 (0.08-9.88, P < 0.01). On the other hand, the accuracy of colposcopy-guided biopsy was 74.1% (64.0-84.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Optical cell diagnosis of cervical or vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia using endocytoscopy provides a high level of diagnostic accuracy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with the UMIN database (ID: 000031712 ). UMIN000031712 . Registered 16 March 2017.

Palliative treatment with electrochemotherapy in recurrent or metastatic vaginal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Vaginal metastases are very rare events with a poor prognosis. To improve the quality of life, local treatments should be considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of electrochemotherapy as palliative treatment in vaginal cancer not amenable to standard treatments due to poor performance status, previous treatments, or advanced disease. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study on patients diagnosed with vaginal cancer and treated from January 2017 to December 2018 with palliative electrochemotherapy. We collected data on patients with vaginal cancer treated by electrochemotherapy with the aim of local control. Data regarding electrochemotherapy, hospital stay, adverse events, and patient outcomes were analyzed. Intravenous bleomycin was injected as a bolus in 2-3 min at a dose of 15 000 UI/m2 and electrical pulses started 8 min after chemotherapy. Electrochemotherapy response was defined according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. RESULTS: Five patients with vaginal recurrence (two squamous, two melanomas, and one leiomyosarcoma) and one with vaginal metastasis from intestinal adenocarcinoma received one treatment and two patients were re-treated. Imaging reported nodal metastasis (inguinal or pelvic) in two patients, distant metastases in two, and both node and distant metastasis in two patients, respectively. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors showed a complete response in one patient, partial response in three patients, stable disease in one patient, and progressive disease in one patient, with an overall response rate of 67% and a clinical benefit rate (complete response, partial response, stable disease) of 83%. Two patients were re-treated and had a new response (partial response and stable disease, respectively). At last follow-up, two patients had died of the disease, two were alive with stable disease, one was alive with progressive disease, and one was alive without disease. Median post-electrochemotherapy overall survival was 12.9 months (range 1.6-26.9) and 1-year overall survival was 66.7%. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary experience showed a tumor response or stabilization in 83% of patients requiring palliative management for vaginal cancer. Further studies are needed to evaluate treatment outcome in larger and prospective series.

[Preliminary study of the clinical value of colposcopy in diagnosing vagina invasion in cervical cancer].

Objective: To explore the preliminary clinical values of colposcopy in the diagnosis of vaginal invasion in cervical cancer. Methods: A retrospective review of the clinical records of patients (31 cases) with cervical cancer treated in Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2015 to August 2019. For those with early-stage cervical cancer and the vagina invasion being difficult to be determined, those with advanced cervical cancer and the scope of vaginal invasion being difficult to be judged, and those with obvious vaginal tumor and underexposed cervix or inconspicuous cervical lesion and the primary location needing to be identified, colposcopy-guided vaginal and cervix biopsy were performed before treatment. Results: (1) Image characteristics of colposcopy and pathological diagnosis: among 31 cases, 30 of them had the similar images of vagina and cervix. The images were dense acetowhite and (or) thick mosaic, coarse punctate and atypical vessels. Lugol's staining was uniformly bright yellow or brown. Pathological biopsy of vaginal wall: 27 cases were metastatic carcinoma, 3 cases were vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN) Ⅱ-Ⅲ. One case showed dense acetowhite epithelium and atypical vessels image in cervix and thin acetowhite epithelium in upper 1/3 vagina which disappeared in two minutes; the results of vaginal biopsy was chronic inflammation. (2) Vaginal invasion diagnosed by colposcopy: among 31 cases, 14 of them without invasion of uterine side, vaginal invasion was judged as followed by colposcopy, being consistent with biopsy: 1 case of chronic vaginitis, 2 cases VaINⅡ, 1 case VaINⅢ, 6 cases upper 1/3 vagina invasion, 4 cases lower 1/3 vagina invasion. Among 10 cases with invasion of uterine side, vaginal invasion were identified by colposcopy, being consistent with biopsy: 4 cases upper 1/3 vagina invasion and 6 cases upper 1/2 vagina invasion. Five cases who had clinical diagnosis of vaginal cancer were diagnosed as cervical cancer with vaginal invasion by colposcopy, being consistent with biopsy. Two cases with no obvious lesions of cervix and vagina were diagnosed as cervical cancer with vaginal invasion by colposcopy, being consistent with cervical and vaginal biopsy: 1 case with stage Ⅳ (transfer to the left supraclavicular lymph node) and 1 case with stage Ⅱ a1. Conclusions: Colposcopy and multi-point biopsy have complementary diagnostic value for the cervical cancer cases that the invasion and scope of vagina are difficult to be determined by physical examination and (or) imaging examination. Thus the range of vaginal resection for patients underwent operation and the lower boundary of pelvic radiation field for those underwent radiotherapy could be fixed, so as to make the treatment much more individualized and humanized; the indications need further discussion.

Recurrent Extra-gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor of the Vagina: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Gastrointestinal tumors are uncommonly found outside the gastrointestinal tract, and extremely rare in the vaginal wall. In this case report, a 39-year-old female, she was finally diagnosed with an extra gastrointestinal stromal tumor (EGIST) when she presented with a recurrent vaginal tumor, while misdiagnosed after the first surgery. She had definitive surgical clearance and was taking targeted drug therapy with no sign of recurrence after follow-up for 13 months. Immunohistochemistry and cytogenetic's remain the most definitive method to diagnose EGISTs. Surgical resection and postoperative adjuvant targeted therapy are the optimum treatment options.

Definitive Radiotherapy in Invasive Vaginal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.

AIM: This study systematically reviews the recent literature on the role of definitive radiotherapy (RT) in the management of vaginal cancer (VC) and presents comprehensive data on clinical outcomes and toxicity. METHODS: The authors performed a literature search using PubMed (2007-2016) to identify all prospective and retrospective studies that have been published on RT in invasive VC. RESULTS: Of the 199 identified studies, 13 met the inclusion criteria. All studies had a retrospective design. Overall, 793 patients (median, 45; range, 26-138) were included. A high heterogeneity was found across studies in terms of RT techniques, assessment criteria, and reported outcomes. The majority of the patients were treated with a combination of external beam RT and brachytherapy (74.2%). Acute and late grade ≥3 toxicity rates ranged from 0.0% to 24.4% (median, 8.7%) and from 0.0% to 22.5% (median, 12.8%), respectively. The 5-year local control rates ranged between 39% and 79%. The 5-year overall survival ranged between 34% and 71.0% (median, 63.5%). Early stage of the disease (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages I-II vs. III-IV), small tumor size (<4 cm), previous hysterectomy, high pretreatment/treatment hemoglobin levels (≥12/12.5 mg/dL), and patients' age <70 or <64 years were correlated with better clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Only retrospective studies, in a limited number, have been published on RT in VC in the past decade, with significant heterogeneity in terms of treatment characteristic and evaluation criteria. Clinical results were strongly influenced by tumor stage. Prospective randomized studies are needed to improve patients' outcomes, especially in advanced-stage disease. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study systematically reviews the recent literature on the role of definitive radiotherapy in the management of vaginal cancer and presents comprehensive data on clinical outcome and toxicity. The prognosis of patients is dismal, with a 5-year overall survival of approximately 50%. Early stage of the disease, small tumor size, previous hysterectomy, high pretreatment/treatment hemoglobin levels, and patients' age were correlated with a better clinical outcome. A brachytherapy boost should be delivered, especially in patients with higher-stage disease. The addition of concurrent weekly cisplatin should be considered in most patients, and transfusion should be used to maintain high hemoglobin levels.

Reaching 80% human papillomavirus vaccination prevalence by 2026: How many adolescents need to be vaccinated and what are their characteristics?

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus vaccination (HPVV) prevents several types of cancer. The American Cancer Society recently established a goal that by 2026, 80% of adolescents will be up to date (UTD) before their 13th birthday. However, the number in need of vaccination to reach this goal is unknown. This study estimated the number of additional adolescents (11-12 years old) who need HPVV for 80% prevalence to be reached by 2026. METHODS: The study used de-identified and publicly available data and exempt from institutional review board approval and informed consent. The 2016 National Immunization Survey for Teens was used to estimate the baseline HPVV prevalence. Linear growth to 80% HPVV prevalence by 2026 was applied to set intermediate targets. US Census Bureau data were used for population projections. This study estimated the cumulative number of additional adolescents 11 to 12 years old who would need to become UTD (ie, receive 2 doses) by first subtracting the number who would need to be vaccinated to achieve an intermediate target prevalence from the estimated number currently compliant and then summing these numbers between 2018 and 2026. RESULTS: Nationwide, an additional 7.62 million males (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.78 million to 8.40 million) and an additional 6.77 million females (95% CI, 5.95 million to 7.55 million), aged 11 to 12 years, would need to receive 2 doses of the vaccine between 2018 and 2026 for 80% prevalence to be achieved. Most adolescents not UTD (80%) also needed to initiate vaccination, and more than 90% recently visited a health care provider. CONCLUSIONS: It is estimated that at least 14.39 million additional adolescents aged 11 to 12 years in the United States will need to receive 2 doses of HPVV for a UTD HPVV prevalence of 80% to be achieved by 2026. To reach this goal, improvements in facilitators of HPVV initiation, including physician recommendations and parental acceptability, are needed.

[Analysis of the factors associated with the long-term curative effect and prognosis of primary vaginal carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the clinical factors that affect the prognosis of patients with primary vaginal cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 118 primary vaginal cancer patients with pathological diagnosis and clinical follow-up data from the Department of Gynecology of Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute from 1999 to 2014 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The relationship of prognosis and factors including age, history of hysterectomy, pathological types, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, tumor size, tumor location and therapeutic methods were analyzed, respectively. Results: The median survival time of the 118 patients was 93 months. The survival rates of 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15-year were 89.7%, 68.1%, 60.4%, 37.3% and 19.0%, respectively.The results of univariate analysis showed that the FIGO stage, pathological types, tumor size, therapeutic methods and tumor location were related to the prognosis of patients with primary vaginal cancer (all P<0.05), while the patients' age, history of hysterectomy were not (all P>0.05). The results of Cox multivariate regression analysis indicated that FIGO stage (P=0.008), tumor location (P=0.001) and therapeutic methods (P=0.007) were independent prognostic factors of the patients with primary vaginal cancer. Conclusions: Prognostic factorsofpatients with primary vaginal cancer include FIGO stage, pathological types, tumor size, therapeutic methods and tumor location. Among them, therapeutic methods and tumor location are the independent prognostic factors.

Vaginal Yolk Sac Tumors: Our Experiences and Results.

OBJECTIVE: Vaginal yolk sac tumors (YSTs) are rare malignant germ cell tumors largely affecting children younger than 3 years. Because of their low incidence, there is no consensus regarding diagnosis and treatment. In this article, we describe the presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of 16 patients with vaginal YSTs diagnosed and managed at our center. METHODS: Diagnoses of YST of the vagina were confirmed by 2 experienced pathologists. All patients were treated with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (PEB) combination chemotherapy alone. Complete remission (CR) was defined by a normal serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, no tumor detected on computed tomography, and negative pathology results. Biochemical CR (bCR) was defined by a normal serum AFP level. Long-term follow-up was completed according to our regulations. RESULTS: The median age of patients at diagnosis was 10 months (range, 5-44 months), and all patients presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding and/or vaginal discharge. Serum αAFP is a sensitive tumor marker, and it was markedly elevated in all patients (median 4848 ng/mL; baseline at our hospital is <20 ng/mL). Thirteen patients completed a chemotherapy regimen consisting of PEB alone without surgery. Importantly, all patients achieved CR. Patients received additional cycles of consolidation chemotherapy after bCR and there are no cases of recurrence to date. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a contemporary treatment strategy in line with current practice. First, all suspected cases of vaginal YST should be diagnosed by histopathological examination and serum AFP levels. Second, nonsurgical treatment with PEB chemotherapy should be initiated until patients achieve bCR, followed by an additional 2 cycles of consolidation therapy to optimize results and reduce the risk of remission.

Management of gynaecologic plasmacytoma: A review article.

In contrast to multiple myeloma (MM) which exhibits diffuse bone marrow and other organ involvement, solitary plasmacytomas carry a favourable prognosis. Extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP) are a unique form of plasma cell neoplasms. These tumours are rare in the female reproductive tract. Only 24 cases of gynaecologic plasmacytomas were reported to date (7 cases were solitary plasmacytomas and 17 cases were either part of disseminated MM with involvement of a gynaecologic organ or were lacking complete work-up to rule out MM). The standard care of gynaecologic solitary EMP is surgical resection alone when feasible. Adjuvant radiation therapy may be considered for adverse prognostic factors such as positive resection margins. MM with gynaecologic organ involvement should be managed with systemic therapy and defer local therapies to symptomatic progression.

Usefulness of vaginal cytology tests in women with previous hysterectomy for benign diseases: assessment of 53,891 tests.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of vaginal screening cytology after hysterectomy for benign disease. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used cytology audit data from 2,512,039 screening tests in the metropolitan region of Campinas from 2000 to 2012; the object was to compare the prevalence of abnormal tests in women who had undergone a hysterectomy for benign diseases (n=53,891) to that of women who had had no hysterectomy. Prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals, 95% CI) were determined, and chi-square analysis, modified by the Cochrane-Armitage test for trend, was used to investigate the effects of age. RESULTS: The prevalence of atypical squamous cells (ASC), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or squamous-cell carcinoma (HSIL/SCC) was 0.13%, 0.04% and 0.03%, respectively, in women who had undergone hysterectomy, and 0.93%, 0.51% and 0.26% in women who had not undergone hysterectomy. The prevalence ratios for ASC, LSIL and HSIL/SCC were 0.14 (0.11-0.17), 0.08 (0.06-0.13) and 0.13 (0.08-0.20), respectively, in women with a hysterectomy versus those without. For HSIL/SCC, the prevalence ratios were 0.09 and 0.29, respectively, for women <50 or ≥50 years. The prevalence rates in women with a previous hysterectomy showed no significant variation with age. CONCLUSION: The prevalence rates of ASC, LSIL and HSIL/SCC were significantly lower in women with a previous hysterectomy for benign disease compared with those observed in women with an intact uterine cervix. This study reinforces the view that there is no evidence that cytological screening is beneficial for women who have had a hysterectomy for benign disease.