Systemic hypertension and diabetes mellitus as predictors of malignancy among women with endometrial polyps: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Evaluation of Comt2, Comt3, Cyp1b1, and Esr1 gene polymorphisms as risk factor for endometrial polyp

The aim of this study is to evaluate COMT2, COMT3, CYP1B1, and ESR1 gene polymorphisms and occurrence of endometrial polyps. In addition, we intended to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological features of patients with and without the presence of the disease, characterizing the possible risk factors. A cross-sectional study was performed, with a total of 309 women, including 236 in the group of women with endometrial polyp confirmed by hysteroscopy and anatomical pathological examination and 73 in the group of people with diagnostic hysteroscopy without abnormal findings from the macroscopic point of view. Polymorphisms of four genes were studied: COMT2 (rs4680), COMT3 (rs5031015), CYP1B1 (rs1056836), and ESR1 (rs2234693). Polymorphism genotyping was determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Considering the results, no differences were identified between the two groups with respect to age, body mass index, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or smoking. The group of women without endometrial polyps showed higher use of hormone therapy than the other group (16.4 percent versus 3.8 percent, p < .001). The COMT2, COMT3, CYP1B1, and ESR1 genes exhibited no significant difference for the occurrence of endometrial polyp between the two groups. The research concluded that no correlation was identified between the genetic polymorphisms evaluated and the presence of endometrial polyps.

Diabetes and anti-diabetic interventions and the risk of gynaecological and obstetric morbidity: an umbrella review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in recent years with serious health ramifications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the strength and validity of associations between diabetes and anti-diabetic interventions and the risk of any type of gynaecological or obstetric conditions.

METHODS

Design: Umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, manual screening of references.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and interventional studies investigating the relationship between diabetes and anti-diabetic interventions with gynaecological or obstetric outcomes. Meta-analyses that did not include complete data from individual studies, such as relative risk, 95% confidence intervals, number of cases/controls, or total population were excluded.

DATA ANALYSIS

The evidence from meta-analyses of observational studies was graded as strong, highly suggestive, suggestive or weak according to criteria comprising the random effects estimate of meta-analyses and their largest study, the number of cases, 95% prediction intervals, I² heterogeneity index between studies, excess significance bias, small study effect and sensitivity analysis using credibility ceilings. Interventional meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials were assessed separately based on the statistical significance of reported associations, the risk of bias and quality of evidence (GRADE) of included meta-analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 117 meta-analyses of observational cohort studies and 200 meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials that evaluated 317 outcomes were included. Strong or highly suggestive evidence only supported a positive association between gestational diabetes and caesarean section, large for gestational age babies, major congenital malformations and heart defects and an inverse relationship between metformin use and ovarian cancer incidence. Only a fifth of the randomised controlled trials investigating the effect of anti-diabetic interventions on women's health reached statistical significance and highlighted metformin as a more effective agent than insulin on risk reduction of adverse obstetric outcomes in both gestational and pre-gestational diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Gestational diabetes appears to be strongly associated with a high risk of caesarean section and large for gestational age babies. Weaker associations were demonstrated between diabetes and anti-diabetic interventions with other obstetric and gynaecological outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework (OSF) (Registration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/9G6AB ).

Does hysteroscopic resection of polyps require cycle cancellation in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in the ICSI cycle?

Objective:

Endometrial polyps are one of the most extensive pathologies in the uterus and can be detected incidentally during assisted reproductive therapy in asymptomatic women.

Materials and Methods:

In patients planned for in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment, embryo freezing, or cycle cancelation options are mandatory in many clinics when detected at the beginning of the cycle. In our study, in ICSI treatment, patients with a single endometrial polyp smaller than 1.5 cm, who underwent hysteroscopic polyp resection at the beginning of the cycle and underwent fresh embryo transfer without canceling the treatment (n=31), and patients with the same characteristics of endometrial polyp who underwent hysteroscopic polyp resection before the cycle (n=34) are compared within the pregnancy, abortion and live birth rates.

Results:

As a result, no statistical difference was found between the two groups’ pregnancy, abortion, and live birth rates.

Conclusion:

Hysteroscopic resection of polyps during ovarian stimulation in ICSI treatment does not affect pregnancy and live birth rates and may eliminate the necessity of freezing.

Noninvasive Predictor for Premalignant and Cancerous Lesions in Endometrial Polyps Diagnosed by Ultrasound

Background

There was no consensus for management of asymptomatic endometrial polyps (EPs) up to date.

Objective

The aim of present study was to determine the risk factors of malignant lesions in EPs diagnosed by ultrasound and establish a noninvasive predictor to decrease unnecessary hysteroscopy for EPs.

Study Design

We reviewed the records of all consecutive patients who underwent hysteroscopy for EPs in the Women’s Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2018. The patients with histological diagnoses of atypical hyperplasia or cancer were defined as malignancy, while the patients with histological diagnoses of benign lesions were randomly selected as benign group according to the ratio of 1:4 (malignancy:benign), matching by age and year of hospitalization. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the clinical parameters for predicting malignancy of EPs. A Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) decision tree analysis was performed to find a noninvasive predictor. The sensitivity, specificity, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were used for assess the efficacy of the noninvasive predictor. New diagnosed EPs patients received in 2019 were used for verifying the accuracy of the noninvasive predictor.

Results

The age in 15,790 cases of benign lesions was significantly younger than that in 230 malignancy cases (41.97 ± 11.53 year vs 53.31 ± 11.61 years, p <0.001). AUB (OR 7.306, 95%CI 4.927–10.835), large EPs (OR 2.595, 95%CI 1.662–4.052), and blood flow signal in EPs (OR 2.690, 95%CI 1.872–3.866) were independent predictive factors of malignancy in all enrolled patients. A noninvasive predictor for malignancy of EPs was established, through combining with AUB, large polyps and blood flow signal. This predictor presented excellent sensitivity and NPV (91.3 and 95.8%), with acceptable specificity and AUC (0.801). Further validation in new diagnosed EPs also suggested excellent sensitivity and reasonable specificity (100 and 58.5%) of the predictor. Factors such as thickened endometrial thickness, menopause shorter than 10 years, hypertension, obesity and nulliparous were also validated as independent predictors of malignancy in different subgroup analysis.

Conclusions

The noninvasive predictor combined with other risk factors from subgroup analysis would be reliable to distinguish the benign lesions from malignancy for EPs diagnosed by ultrasound.

Endometrial polyps. An evidence-based diagnosis and management guide

OBJECTIVE

To provide an updated practice guideline for the management of patients with endometrial polyps.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A committee of six expert researchers draw the recommendations according to AGREE II Reporting Guideline. An electronic search was performed querying the following databases MEDLINE (accessed through PubMed), Scopus, PROSPERO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library (including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), Scielo.br, Google Scholar, from inception to May 2020. A combination of text-words and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) regarding endometrial polyps, diagnosis, management and treatment was used. Trials were assessed for methodologic rigor and graded using the United States Preventive Services Task Force classification system.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) should be the imaging modality of choice for the detection of endometrial polyps in woman of fertile age (level B). Its accuracy increases when color-doppler, 3D investigation and contrast are used (level B). Dilation and Curettage (D&C) should be avoided for the diagnosis and management of polyps (level A). In office hysteroscopy showed the highest diagnostic accuracy in infertile patients with suspected endometrial polyps (level B). Polyps might alter endometrial receptivity, and embryo implantation reducing pregnancy rates (level C). Hysteroscopic polypectomy is feasible and safe with negligeble risk of intrauterine adhesion formation (level B). Polypectomy does not compromise reproductive outcomes from subsequent IVF procedures but the removal of polyps as a routine practice in sub-fertile women is not currently supported by the evidence (level B). Cost-effectiveness analysis suggest performing office polypectomy in women desiring to conceive (level B). Saline infused sonohysterography is highly accurate in detecting polyps in asymptomatic postmenopausal women (level B). Postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding and suspected endometrial polyp should be offered diagnostic hysteroscopy with hysteroscopic polypectomy if endometrial polyps are present (level B). In-office hysteroscopy has the highest diagnostic accuracy with high cost-benefits ratio for premalignant and malignant pathologies of the uterine cavity (level B). Due to risk of malignancy, histopathological analysis of the polyp is mandatory (level B). Blind D&C should be avoided due to inaccuracy for the diagnosis of focal endometrial pathology (level A). Expectant management is not recommended in symptomatic patients especially in postmenopausal women (level B). In case of atypical hyperplasia or carcinoma on a polyp, hysterectomy is recommended in all post-menopausal patients and in premenopausal patients without desire of future fertility (level B). Asymptomatic endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women should be removed in case of large diameter (> 2 cm) or in patients with risk factors for endometrial carcinoma (level B). Excision of polyps smaller than 2 cm in asymptomatic postmenopausal patients has no impact on cost-effectiveness or survival (level B). Removal of asymptomatic polyps in premenopausal women should be considered in patients with risk factors for endometrial cancer (level B).

Elevated Risk for Sessile Serrated Polyps in African Americans with Endometrial Polyps

BACKGROUND

Colorectal and endometrial lesions increase with age. It is not known if these two precursor lesions in sporadic cases associate with each other.

AIM

To determine the association between colorectal polyps and endometrial polyps (EP) in African Americans.

METHODS

We reviewed records of patients referred to gynecology clinics and had colonoscopy at Howard University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2015. We defined cases as all patients who had EP and underwent colonoscopy. For controls, we used EP-free patients who underwent colonoscopy. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between colon polyps and EP.

RESULTS

The median age was 60 years in 118 Cases and 57 years in 664 Controls. The overall colorectal polyps prevalence in the two groups was not statistically different (54% in controls vs. 52% in cases, P = 0.60). Sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSPs) were more frequent in cases (8% vs. 2% in controls, P = 0.003). Sigmoid and rectal locations were more prevalent in controls than cases. In multivariate analysis and after adjusting for age, diabetes mellitus (DM), and BMI, SSPs were associated with EP occurrence with an odds ratio of 4.6 (CI 1.2-16.7, P = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

Colorectal polyp prevalence was similar in EP patients compared to EP-free controls. However, we observed a significant association between higher-risk SSPs in patients with EP. The prevalence of smoking and DM was higher in these patients. Females with EP might benefit from a screening for colonic lesions in an age-independent manner.