Diagnostic strategies for postmenopausal bleeding

The endometrial cancer detection using non-invasive hypermethylation of CDO1 and CELF4 genes in women with postmenopausal bleeding in Northwest China

Objective

The objective of this study was to verify the clinical predictive performance of methylated cysteine dioxygenase type 1 (CDO1m) and CUGBP Elav-like family member 4 (CELF4m) in endometrial cancer (EC) women with postmenopausal bleeding (PMB).

Material and Methods

A single-center, prospective, and case-control study was conducted in the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-care Hospital with 138 female postmenopausal patients enrolled in 2022. All patients underwent body mass index (BMI) detection, transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) detection, carbohydrate antigen 125 detection, and the cervical exfoliated cell CDO1/CELF4 gene methylation detection to analyze the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of different screening tests statistically with the biopsy and/or dilation and curettage (D&C) pathological diagnosis under hysteroscopy as the gold standard.

Results

There was no significant difference in age between the EC group and the non-EC group, P = 0.492. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology, we validated the CDO1 and CELF4 methylation detection with 87.5% sensitivity and 95.9% specificity as a useful strategy for the triage of women with PMB for the detection of EC. In addition, 100% of type II EC (n = 6) were positively detected by the CDO1 or CELF4 methylation test.

Conclusion

The CDO1 and CELF4 methylation test with high specificity as an auxiliary diagnostic tool or alternative method provides physicians with a reference to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors in women with postmenopausal bleeding, to justify the necessity of using invasive methods to confirm diagnosis.

Approaches to prevention of gynecological malignancies

Gynecological malignancies represent one of the prevalent diseases in the female sex and prevention is essential to limit their incidence and mortality. Nowadays, not all malignancies benefit from adequate screening methods for this reason new biomarkers and methods are being developed to undertake timely and effective therapies.

Diagnosing Endometrial Carcinoma in a Patient With Atrophic Endometrium and Postmenopausal Bleeding

Endometrial carcinoma is the leading cause of gynecologic malignancies in the United States. Unlike other malignancies, endometrial carcinoma presents early with the most common clinical symptom being uterine bleeding (including irregular menses, inter-menstrual bleeding, and postmenopausal bleeding, or PMB). Hence, the evaluation of PMB should have efficient and effective strategies to prevent a missed diagnosis of malignancy and to facilitate an early diagnosis for potentially curative treatment.

Transvaginal ultrasound is appropriate to evaluate PMB initially. If imaging reveals an endometrial thickness of ≤4 mm, endometrial sampling is not warranted, given the high negative predictive value (>99%) of this finding for endometrial carcinoma. In women with persistent or recurrent bleeding, if blind endometrial sampling does not show endometrial hyperplasia or malignancy, further testing with hysteroscopy with dilation and curettage is indicated. However, in cases of PMB with an endometrial thickness of ≤4 mm on transvaginal ultrasound, little information can be gained from endometrial sampling alone as the chance of getting an adequate sample is low and malignancy is rare. For such patients, outpatient hysteroscopy has become a convenient and cost-effective procedure that may be done before an endometrial sampling.

Value of endometrial thickness and Doppler parameters of uterine artery in predicting endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding: a cross-sectional study in Vietnam

Objective

To determine the value of endometrial thickness (ET) and Doppler indices of uterine artery (UtA) as sonographic markers in predicting endometrial cancer (EC) among postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) women in low-resource settings as Vietnam.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Hue University Hospital and Hue Central Hospital between June 2016 and June 2019. The study enrolled all women who complained of PMB and were followed by transvaginal Doppler ultrasound. Their definitive histopathological examination was the gold standard for comparison.

Results

The UtA Doppler indices, including resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and peak systolic velocity (PSV), were significantly lower in the malignant group than in the benign group. The threshold values of the UtA, RI ≤0.73 and PI ≤1.42, were found with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.85–0.88, and the sensitivity and specificity were 91.3% and 83.3%, respectively. Unlike PSV, the diagnostic value was the lowest, with an AUC of 0.72. ET was a good predictor for the diagnosis of EC, with an AUC of 0.89. In women with PMB, when using the cutoff value of EC more than 12.5 mm, the sensitivity and specificity were 93.8% and 77.8%, respectively. In addition, the higher the stage of EC, the lower the RI and PI and the greater the EC.

Conclusion

ET, and RI, PI, and PSV of the UtA could help in differentiating malignant from benign endometrial changes. Pulsed ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry seems to play a role in predicting the higher stages of EC. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Endometrial cancer

Although endometrial cancer management remains challenging, a deeper understanding of the genetic diversity as well as the drivers of the various pathogenic states of this disease has led to development of divergent management approaches in an effort to improve therapeutic precision in this complex malignancy. This comprehensive review provides an update on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and molecular classification, recent advancements in disease management, as well as important patient quality-of-life considerations and emerging developments in the rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape of endometrial cancers.

A Mini-Review of Office Hysteroscopic Techniques for Endometrial Tissue Sampling in Postmenopausal Bleeding

Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is a common cause for a gynecological visit. Endometrial cancer risk varies from 3% to 25% in women with PMB. There is a significant concern of malignancy of the endometrium and the endocervical canal by a physician in postmenopausal women, and hence, most prefer operating room hysteroscopies with dilation and curettage (D & C) compared to in-office procedures. With increased availablility of miniaturized instruments such as mini- resectoscope and tissue removal systems, there is high likelihood of blind D & C being replaced by hysteroscopic- guided targetted biopsy or visual D & C. The cost-effectiveness of office hysteroscopy is also well demonstrated. In December 2020, an electronic search was performed of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library to look for articles on office hysteroscopic biopsy techniques in postmenopausal women from 2010 to 2020. Relevant studies were included where various office hysteroscopic techniques are used for endometrial sampling in PMB. Studies with 5 Fr scissors, biopsy forceps, crocodile forceps, cup forceps, bipolar electrode, in-office tissue removal system (morcellator), flexible hysteroscope, and mini-resectoscope were included. Standard reference was used as an adequate endometrial sample for histology. The objective of this review is to explore the current evidence on different office hysteroscopic techniques available for endometrial tissue sampling in PMB.

MRI Findings and Differential Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Tumors of the Uterine Corpus

자궁은 크게 자궁체부와 자궁경부로 나뉜다. 이 중 자궁내막과 자궁근층으로 이루어진 자궁체부에는 양성에서 악성 종양까지 다양한 질환이 발생한다. 비침습적인 일차적 평가로 초음파와 컴퓨터단층촬영이 있으나 비특이적인 영상 소견으로 감별이 어려운 경우가 있다. 반면높은 해상도와 병리학적 특성 파악이 가능한 자기공명영상은 병변의 위치 확인뿐만 아니라 조직학적 특징, 그 리고 악성 종양의 병기 설정에도 도움을 준다. 이 종설에서는 영상의학과의사들이 알아야 할 자궁체부에서 볼 수 있는 다양한 양성과 악성 종양들의 특징적인 자기공명영상 소견들과 이들의 감별점에 대해 정리했다.

Hysteroscopy in postmenopause: from diagnosis to the management of intrauterine pathologies

With the increase in life expectancy, women now live up to one-third of their life in menopause. Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is a common gynecologic complaint encountered by the clinician. Endometrial cancer is present in about 10% of patients with PMB. Nevertheless, many other conditions such as endometrial or cervical polyps, genital atrophy, or non-gynecologic conditions may also be present. Hysteroscopy has replaced blind diagnostic procedures and is now considered the gold-standard technique for the diagnosis and management of intrauterine pathology. Gynecologists in clinical practice should be familiar with the use of hysteroscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of the menopausal patient presenting with gynecologic complaints. The aim of this article is to report the current evidence on the role of hysteroscopy in the evaluation and management of the postmenopausal patient with intrauterine pathology.

The Connection between the Endometrial Thickness and the Risk of Endometrial Malignancy in Postmenopausal Women

BACKGROUND:

Postmenopausis is a period that starts one year after the last menstruation. Late menopause, after 70 years, is called senile.

AIM:

To examine the correlation between endometrial thickness and the risk of endometrial malignancy in postmenopausal.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Prospective clinical study involving 120 postmenopausal patients treated at the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics – Skopje, divided into two groups: control and examination. The control group included 40 postmenopausal patients, hospitalised and operated due to urogenital pathology. The examined group consisted of 80 patients divided into three subgroups according to the ultrasound verified thickness of the endometrium: from 5-8 mm; > 8-11 mm and above 11 mm. A detailed history and intervention were taken in the patients from both groups, and the material was sent for histopathological analysis to determine eventual malignancy.

RESULTS:

The probability of endometrial malignancy significantly increased by 1.012 times in the group with a thickness of the endometrium from 5-8 mm, 1.769 times in the endometrial thickness group > 8-11 mm and 4.737-fold in the group over 11 mm compared to the control group.

CONCLUSION:

In postmenopausal patients, the likelihood of endometrial cancer significantly increases with the thickness of the endometrium.

An unusual cause of postmenopausal vaginal haemorrhage: a case report

Background

Post-menopause vaginal haemorrhage is typically related to gynaecological malignancies. Bleeding from vaginal varices rarely occurs, especially in nonpregnant women. Moreover, nonpregnancy-related causes of vaginal varicosities include portal hypertension, especially that caused by liver cirrhosis, pelvic congestion syndrome and Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome or Parkes-Weber syndrome. Here, we report an unusual cause of nonpregnancy-associated vaginal variceal bleeding.

Case presentation

A 55-year-old postmenopausal woman presented in our outpatient department with complaints of recurrent bloody vaginal discharge. A group of varicose veins and several haemorrhagic spots were found on her vaginal wall during a vaginal speculum examination. Genital cancers were excluded by colposcopy and transvaginal ultrasonography; furthermore, a pelvic arteriovenous fistula was not found on a pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan. However, congenital varicosities and deep arteriovenous shunts were observed in her left leg on arterial angiography. Moreover, vaginal bleeding was improved after resolution of the underlying deep arteriovenous shunts in her left leg. Therefore, congenital arteriovenous shunts and elevated inferior vena cava pressure might be responsible for her recurrent vaginal varicose bleeding.

Conclusion

Haemorrhage due to vaginal varices is easily detected with a vaginal speculum examination. However, diagnosis and treatment of the original disease are important after bleeding is controlled.

Association of Endometrial Cancer Risk With Postmenopausal Bleeding in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

As the worldwide burden of endometrial cancer continues to rise, interest is growing in the evaluation of early detection and prevention strategies among women at increased risk. Focusing efforts on women with postmenopausal bleeding (PMB), a common symptom of endometrial cancer, may be a useful strategy; however, PMB is not specific for endometrial cancer and is often caused by benign conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a reference of the prevalence of PMB in endometrial cancers and the risk of endometrial cancer in women with PMB.

DATA SOURCES

For this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed and Embase were searched for English-language studies published January 1, 1977, through January 31, 2017.

STUDY SELECTION

Observational studies reporting the prevalence of PMB in women with endometrial cancer and the risk of endometrial cancer in women with PMB in unselected populations were selected.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two independent reviewers evaluated study quality and risk of bias using items from the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Studies that included highly selected populations, lacked detailed inclusion criteria, and/or included 25 or fewer women were excluded.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The pooled prevalence of PMB in women with endometrial cancer and the risk of endometrial cancer in women with PMB.

RESULTS

A total of 129 unique studies, including 34 432 unique patients with PMB and 6358 with endometrial cancer (40 790 women), were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of PMB among women with endometrial cancer was 91% (95% CI, 87%-93%), irrespective of tumor stage. The pooled risk of endometrial cancer among women with PMB was 9% (95% CI, 8%-11%), with estimates varying by use of hormone therapy (range, 7% [95% CI, 6%-9%] to 12% [95% CI, 9%-15%]; P < .001 for heterogeneity) and geographic region (range, 5% [95% CI, 3%-11%] in North America to 13% [95% CI, 9%-19%] in Western Europe; P = .09 for heterogeneity).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Early detection strategies focused on women with PMB have the potential to capture as many as 90% of endometrial cancers; however, most women with PMB will not be diagnosed with endometrial cancer. These results can aid in the assessment of the potential clinical value of new early detection markers and clinical management strategies for endometrial cancer and will help to inform clinical and epidemiologic risk prediction models to support decision making.

Myometrium Invasion, Tumour Size and Lymphovascular Invasion as a Prognostic Factor in Dissemination of Pelvic Lymphatics at Endometrial Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this work is to show the importance of the depth of myometrium invasion, tumour size and lymphovascular invasion as prognostic factors in dissemination of lymphatic nodes at endometrial carcinoma (CE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the period from 2010 to 2015 at the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics in Banja Luka, 221 endometrial cancer surgeries were done (laparatomy 184-83%, laparascopy 37-16,74%). Patients who had uterus bleeding in peri/postmenopause or those whose endometrium thickness was bigger than 5 mm which was established by ultrasound, or those who had in their cavum uteri pathological (PH) diagnosis, underwent fractional curettage (FC) or hysteroscopy in order to obtain pathohistological endometrium diagnosis. Substances which were removed by fractional curettage, biopsy or by surgery were sent to patohystological analysis. We analysed the following factors: age (5 groups), histological grade (G) of tumour, depth of myometrial invasion (DIM), whether it is more or less than 50%, the size of the tumour (if it is bigger or smaller than 2 cm), positive or negative lymphovascular invasion (LVI), positive or negative pelvic lymph nodes (PLN).

RESULTS

Within histological type the endometrioid type CE 166 (75,11%) was most dominant. Adenocarcinoma of endometrium was present 25 (11,31%), serous CE 11 (4,97%) and clear cell KE 2 (0,90%). Dominant population with CE was over 60 years old 127 (57,46) of female patients. At G3 where DIM was <50% positive PLN were present 2 (3.92%), whereas if DIM was>50%, 6 (26,73%) patients with positive PLN were registred. Tumour size < 2 cm was found with 57 (25,79%) female patients with positive PLN 8 (14,03%), while 164 (74,20%) patients had tumours > 2 cm who had 21 (12,80) PLN metastases. At G1 when tumour was <2 cm, positive PLN had 3 patients (5,88), while when tumour was >2 cm, positive PLN were found at 6 patients (9,69%). At G3 whose size was <2 cm, positive PLN were found at 2 patients (16,66%), but when tumour was >2 cm, PLN metastases were more frequent, 6 (25,00%). Negative LVI was found with 168 patients (76,01%) whose PLN were positive 16 (9,52%), while positive LIV was with 53 patients (23,99%) of whom 14 had PLN metastases (26,41%). At G1 two patients had positive PLN (2,32%) with negative LVI, while with positive LVI, positive PLN were found at 3 patients (11,11%). At G3 having negative LVI positive PLN were found with 6 patients (24,00%), while if LIV was positive, the number of positive PLN were 6 (54,54%).

CONCLUSIONS

With low risk for lymphatic spread (DIM less than 50%, tumour size smaller than 2 cm and lack of LVI at G1 CE) we also encounter low metastasis rate of PLN. Diagnoses of this kind have an aim to lower the number of pelvic lymphadenectomies. With patients who have a high risk of lymphatic spread (myometrium invasion >50%, tumour size > 2cm, LVI present at G2 and G3) metastasis rate of PLN is high, therefore it is necessary to perform pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy which lowers the mortality rate for more than 50% and at the same time patients get an absolute chance of 5-year survival period.

Diffusion-weighted imaging in gynaecological malignancy

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) has become an essential part of the gynaecological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. DWI is used as an adjunct to conventional MRI sequences and has been shown to improve reporting accuracy in the imaging of gynaecological malignancy. In this review, we discuss the role of DWI in the diagnosis, staging, and assessment of treatment response of endometrial, cervical, and ovarian cancer. We also review the role of DWI in the assessment of the sonographically indeterminate ovarian lesion. Further, we highlight potential pitfalls that can beset the accurate interpretation of DWI in patients with gynaecological malignancy.

Functional MR Imaging in Gynecologic Cancer

Dynamic-contrast enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging are invaluable in the detection, staging, and characterization of uterine and ovarian malignancies, for monitoring treatment response, and for identifying disease recurrence. When used as adjuncts to morphologic T2-weighted (T2-W) MR imaging, these techniques improve accuracy of disease detection and staging. DW-MR imaging is preferred because of its ease of implementation and lack of need for an extrinsic contrast agent. MR spectroscopy is difficult to implement in the clinical workflow and lacks both sensitivity and specificity. If used quantitatively in multicenter clinical trials, standardization of DCE- and DW-MR imaging techniques and rigorous quality assurance is mandatory.

Role of postmenopausal bleeding pattern and women's age in the prediction of endometrial cancer

BACKGROUND

Women with postmenopausal bleeding should be evaluated efficiently to exclude endometrial carcinoma.

AIMS

To estimate the risk of endometrial cancer using individual case characteristics among women with postmenopausal bleeding in whom the endometrial thickness is >4 mm.

METHODS

Women with postmenopausal bleeding underwent clinical evaluation followed by transvaginal ultrasonography and endometrial biopsy. Clinical evaluation included age, body mass index, duration of menopause, number of bleeding episodes and amount of bleeding.

RESULTS

This study included 142 women, and endometrial carcinoma was found in 18 (12.7%). Older age, higher body mass index, longer duration of menopause, longer lasting bleeding episodes, higher amount of bleeding and recurrent bleeding episodes were the clinical characteristics associated with endometrial cancer. However, multivariate analysis revealed >55 years of age during postmenopausal bleeding, history of recurrent bleeding episodes and bleeding exceeding 5 pads per day in each episode as significant parameters, which predicted the presence of endometrial cancer among women with postmenopausal bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS

Prompt evaluation is required in women with postmenopausal bleeding to exclude endometrial cancer. Transvaginal ultrasonography is a reasonable first-line approach, and invasive sampling is required when ultrasonographic endometrial thickness is above 4 mm. However, about 90% of women with postmenopausal bleeding will finally be found to have a nonmalignant condition. Therefore, women who are at increased cancer risk should further be distinguished. This may be achieved using individual patient characteristics that result in a more accurate evaluation strategy with lower rates of unnecessary invasive procedures.

Estimating the Risk of Endometrial Cancer in Symptomatic Postmenopausal Women: A Novel Clinical Prediction Model Based on Patients' Characteristics

Introduction

The aim of this study was to develop a multivariable model to predict the risk of endometrial carcinoma in postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding using individuals' clinical characteristics.

Patients and Methods

This prospective study of consecutive postmenopausal women presenting with vaginal bleeding was conducted at a gynecological oncology center in the United Kingdom for a 46-month period. All women underwent transvaginal ultrasound scanning as the initial investigation tool to evaluate the endometrium. Women found to have an endometrial thickness 5 mm or more had endometrial sampling performed.

Results

Of a total of 3548 women presenting with vaginal bleeding during the study period, 201 (6%) women had a diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma. An investigator-led best model selection approach used to select the best predictors of cancer in the multiple logistic regression model showed that patient's age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06), body mass index (OR, 1.07), recurrent episodes of bleeding (OR, 3.64), and a history of diabetes (OR, 1.48) increased the risk of endometrial malignancy when corrected for other characteristics. The mentioned clinical variables satisfied the criteria for inclusion in our predictive model called FAD 31 (F for the frequency of bleeding episodes, A for the age of the patient, D for diabetes, and the number 31 represents the BMI cut-off value). The total score for the model varies from 0 to 8. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the developed model was 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.77).

Discussion

We have developed a simple model based on patients' clinical characteristics in estimating the risk of endometrial cancer for postmenopausal women presenting with vaginal bleeding. The model shows reasonable discriminatory ability for women with cancer and without, with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.73. This will allow clinicians to individualize the diagnostic pathway for women with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding.

Diagnostic evaluation of the endometrium in postmenopausal bleeding: an evidence-based approach

Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) is a common complaint in general gynecological practice. Women with PMB have around a 10% chance of having endometrial carcinoma and therefore PMB always needs further evaluation. This article summarizes the reviews on the subject and provides an overview of the use of diagnostic tools in patients with PMB. Four types of diagnostic test are described: sonographic measurement of endometrial thickness, endometrial sampling, hysteroscopy and saline infusion sonography. All four have been independently shown to be accurate in excluding endometrial cancer. However, neither in systematic reviews nor in international guidelines is consensus found regarding the sequence in which these methods should be employed in women with PMB. For measurement of endometrial thickness in symptomatic women, a cut-off value of 3mm is recommended, but the cost-effectiveness of this strategy has yet to be shown. Research should now focus on the incorporation of individual patient characteristics and pre-test probabilities for cancer in algorithms for the investigation of PMB, and the most cost-effective sequenced combination of the four types of test.