Atypical glandular cells

Conservative Treatment for Cervical Adenocarcinoma In Situ: Long-Term Results

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of conservative treatment for cervical adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study on women with histologically confirmed AIS on cervical loop electrosurgical excision procedure specimen, treated conservatively between 2008 and 2020 in our center, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan. The main outcome investigated was the risk of recurrence defined as a subsequent finding of recurrent AIS or invasive adenocarcinoma in a long-term follow-up. The disease-free survival curve was computed using the Kaplan-Meyer method. All patients underwent colposcopy with endocervical curettage and cytology every 6 months for the first 2 years after initial surgery and then annual cytology.

RESULTS

Thirty women, aged 26 to 51 years, with histologically proven AIS on excisional specimen with negative margins, negative apex, and negative endocervical curettage were included. The median follow-up was 5.4 years. One woman had a recurrence of AIS after 8 years of follow-up and underwent total hysterectomy. No invasive cervical disease was detected during surveillance.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with cervical AIS can be managed conservatively by an excisional procedure, provided that the margins are free and a close and long-term follow-up is guaranteed.

Clinical management of abnormal Pap tests: differences between US and Korean guidelines

Cervical cancer has been the most common gynecological cancer in Korea but has become a preventable disease with regular screening and proper vaccination. If regular screening is provided, cervical cancer does not progress to more than carcinoma in situ, due to its comparatively long precancerous duration (years to decades). In 2012, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology published guidelines to aid clinicians in managing women with abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, and they soon became the standard in the United States. Not long thereafter, the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the Korean Society for Cytopathology published practical guidelines to reflect the specific situation in Korea. The detailed screening guidelines and management options in the case of abnormal Pap test results are sometimes the same and sometimes different in the United States and Korean guidelines. In this article, we summarize the differences between the United States and Korean guidelines in order to facilitate physicians’ proper management of abnormal Pap test results.

Histological Follow-Up in Patients with Atypical Glandular Cells on Pap Smears

Context:

Atypical glandular cells (AGCs) result in the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear may be associated with significant genital and nongenital neoplastic processes.

Aims:

To evaluate the underlying histopathology in women who had AGCs on Pap smears.

Settings and Design:

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Patients and Methods:

Clinicopathological data of patients who had AGC on Pap smears and underwent histological workup between January 2004 and December 2014 were retrieved from the computerized database of a tertiary care center. Patients with a prior history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or gynecological cancer were excluded.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were used as appropriate.

Results:

Cytological examination of the uterine cervix was carried out in 117,560 patients. We identified 107 patients (0.09%) with AGC and 80 of those with histological follow-up were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 47 years (range, 18–79), and 32 women (40%) were postmenopausal, while 56 (70%) had gynecological symptoms. Significant preinvasive or invasive lesions on pathological examination were detected in 27 (33.8%) patients, including 12 endometrial adenocarcinomas (15%), 8 cervical carcinomas (10%), 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II/III (3.75%), 2 ovarian adenocarcinomas (2.5%), and 2 metastatic tumors (2.5%). Univariate analysis showed that postmenopausal status (P < 0.001), age >50 years old (P < 0.001), having symptoms at the time of admission (P = 0.041), and AGC “favor neoplasia” smear results (P = 0.041) were the clinical factors associated with significant pathological outcome.

Conclusions:

Patients with AGC on Pap smears should be evaluated vigilantly with histological workup, especially if they are postmenopausal or symptomatic.

Pap smears with glandular cell abnormalities: Are they detected by rapid prescreening?

BACKGROUND

Rapid prescreening (RPS) is one of the quality assurance (QA) methods used in gynecologic cytology. The efficacy of RPS has been previously studied but mostly with respect to squamous lesions; in fact, there has been no study so far specifically looking at the sensitivity of RPS for detecting glandular cell abnormalities.

METHODS

A total of 80,565 Papanicolaou (Pap) smears underwent RPS during a 25-month period. A sample was designated as "review for abnormality" (R) if any abnormal cells (at the threshold of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance/atypical glandular cells [AGC]) were thought to be present or was designated as negative (N) if none were detected. Each sample then underwent full screening (FS) and was designated as either R or N and also given a cytologic interpretation.

RESULTS

The final cytologic interpretation was a glandular cell abnormality (≥AGC) in 107 samples (0.13%); 39 of these (36.4%) were flagged as R on RPS. Twenty-four patients (33.8%) out of 71 who had histologic follow-up were found to harbor a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or carcinoma; 13 of those 24 Pap smears (54.2%) had been flagged as R on RPS. Notably, 11 AGC cases were picked up by RPS only and not by FS and represented false-negative cases; 2 of these showed endometrial adenocarcinoma on histologic follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Pap smears with glandular cell abnormalities are often flagged as abnormal by RPS, and this results in a sensitivity of 36.4% (at the AGC threshold). Most importantly, some cases of AGC are detected on Pap smears by RPS only, and this demonstrates that RPS is a valuable QA method.

High-risk HPV testing in the management of atypical glandular cells: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Whereas the utility of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing is widely accepted in triage of women with atypical squamous lesions, its role in managing atypical glandular cells (AGC) is not fully elucidated. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the accuracy of hrHPV testing in the management of women with AGC to detect underlying high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or worse, and adenocarcinoma in situ or worse (AIS+). Additionally, the diagnosis of extra-cervical cancer was considered as an outcome in this review. A bibliographic database search (PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL) identified twelve eligible studies. The occurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade two or worse including AIS+ (CIN2+/AIS+), was 19.8% among women with AGC, and 55.7% among women with AGC and concurrent squamous lesions (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse, ASC-US+). The pooled sensitivity and specificity of hrHPV-testing with Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) to detect CIN2+/AIS+ in women with AGC was 90.0% (95% CI = 85.1-93.4%) and 75.1% (95% CI = 64.8-83.2%), respectively. Women who were hrHPV-negative, demonstrated an increased risk for extra-cervical malignancy (endometrium, fallopian tube, ovary). In women of 50y and older, a hrHPV-negative result was linked with a 18.0% chance of extra-cervical malignancy, while the chance of cervical pre-cancer and cancer was 0.4 and 0.0%, respectively. In conclusion, given the high risk of underlying CIN2+/AIS+, women with AGC should be referred directly to colposcopy. However, hrHPV test results in combination with the age, appears to improve the diagnostic process by distinguishing the risk for cervical versus non-cervical lesions.

Management of "Atypical Endocervical Cells" Compared to "Atypical Glandular Cells"

OBJECTIVE

To assess adherence to management guidelines based on the terminology used to describe atypical glandular cells (AGC) on cytology reports.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed AGC pathology reports from Hartford Hospital, 2004-2007, and identified cases of AGC with the terminology atypical glandular cells or atypical endocervical cells (AEC). We calculated rates of clinical evaluations based on the terminology used to describe the AGC. Statistical analysis was performed using the χ test.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight reports contained the terminology AEC and 97 reports contained the terminology AGC. The rate of histologic sampling in women with AEC was lower than in women with AGC (52.6% vs 83.5%; p < .01). Similarly, the rate of comprehensive evaluations was lower (33.3% vs 71.1%; p < .01). Fewer endocervical curettages (47.4% vs 77.3%; p < .01) and fewer endometrial biopsies in women 35 years or older were performed (26.9% vs 69.1%; p < .01) in women with AEC than in women with AGC.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with AGC reports containing the term AEC were managed less optimally than those with AGC. These results suggest that the terminology used to describe the finding of atypical glandular cells may influence the clinical evaluation. Clinicians may not recognize AEC as AGCs. Ours results suggest that the terminology atypical endocervical cells should be avoided or accompanied by the terminology atypical glandular cells.