Pipelle endometrial sampling versus conventional dilatation & curettage in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding

Successful Surveillance Using Endometrial Cytology in a Woman With Lynch Syndrome

Lynch syndrome (LS) results from pathogenic variants in mismatch repair genes and is the most common hereditary cancer syndrome. Some guidelines or studies recommend restricting screening according to endometrial cancer (EC) using endometrial biopsy. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of endometrial cytology for detecting endometrial atypical hyperplasia or cancer have been reported to be as high as the pooled sensitivity and specificity of endometrial biopsy. We conduct transvaginal ultrasound and endometrial cytology in women with LS every six months as surveillance for gynecological malignancy. Through this surveillance program, we can detect early-stage EC in women with LS. Here, we report the case of a patient with stage IA EC detected by endometrial cytology and treated completely. The patient was a 47-year-old woman under surveillance for gynecological malignancy. She was diagnosed as having LS with a germline pathogenic variant in MSH6 after surgery for rectal cancer. Thereafter, gynecological surveillance was started. She had regular menstruation and never experienced atypical genital bleeding. However, her cytopathological findings indicated grade 1 endometrial carcinoma. Endometrial biopsy was performed and endometrial carcinoma was confirmed pathologically. A laparoscopic modified radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. The resected specimen was reviewed pathologically, and the tumor was finally diagnosed as grade 1 endometrioid carcinoma confined to the endometrium without lymphovascular space invasion. She has remained asymptomatic and free of cancer for five years without any adjuvant therapy. We achieved successful surveillance using endometrial cytology. Endometrial cytology could replace endometrial biopsy as a screening tool for EC.

Association between tissue stress reaction and ACE2/TMPRSS2 expression in endometria of reproductive aged women before and during Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

A potential concern has been raised regarding fertility and reproductive outcome during the Covid-19 pandemic with growing stress and anxiety. However, information on the association between tissue stress reaction and expression profiles of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, in endometria collected from women before (pre-pandemic) and during the Covid-19 pandemic (in-pandemic) is unknown. We aim to investigate the relationship between the expression of stress-reactive proteins and of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in endometria collected from women during these two different time frames.

METHODS

We retrospectively retrieved tissue blocks of endometrial samples from 25 women in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 25 women in 2020 (in-pandemic) who underwent hysterectomy for different gynecological indications. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed with endometrial tissue samples that were collected before and during the pandemic, using respective antibodies targeting ACE2/TMPRSS2, ADRB2 and NK1R (stress and anxiety receptor markers, respectively). The quantification of immunoreactive cells for each marker was calculated by the immunoreactive score (IRS) analysis. This retrospective cohort study was limited to small sample size.

RESULTS

No significant differences in the IRS of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were found between the endometria that were collected before and during the pandemic with a lack of correlation between ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in respective endometria (r = 0.11, pre-pandemic; r = 0.04, in-pandemic). The immunostaining levels of stress marker, ADRB2 were significantly higher in the endometria of in-pandemic group (p = 0.015) comparing to that of pre-pandemic group. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis showed a significant correlation in the expression between ADRB2 and TMPRSS2 (r = 0.41, p = 0.042) in the endometria of in-pandemic group but not in the pre-pandemic group.

CONCLUSION

The rise in stress and anxiety among women during current pandemic may elicit substantial amount of tissue stress reaction with consequent increase in the expression of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry proteins in their endometria. A lack of correlation between ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in endometria may reassure women in their reproductive age that they are not more susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that stressful women during this pandemic can safely decide to conceive naturally or by artificial reproductive technology.

Screening of Endometrial Cancer Related to Lynch Syndrome in China by Suction Curettage-Based Cytology and Histology: A Retrospective Study

Objective

To explore the feasibility of sampling Chinese patients by suction curettage for cytological and histological screening of endometrial cancer related to Lynch syndrome.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled patients who underwent endometrial biopsy at our hospital between May 2018 and January 2019. Endometrial sampling (cytological and micro-histological specimens) was conducted by suction curettage. The gold standard for diagnosis was traditional sharp dilation and curettage (D&C). The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of cytology, micro-histology, and the combination of cytology and micro-histology were calculated. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of three screening methods. Mismatch repair proteins were further detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in endometrial cancer.

Results

This retrospective finally enrolled 100 patients, which satisfactory samples were obtained from 96 patients for liquid-based cytology and 93 patients for microtissue histology. The concordance rates with D&C, sensitivity, and specificity were 94.8%, 76.9%, and 97.5% for liquid-based cytology, 96.8%, 84.6%, and 98.8% for microtissue histology, and 99.0%, 92.3%, and 100.0% for liquid-based cytology and microtissue histology combined, respectively. The AUC of ROC curves in liquid-based cytology, microtissue histology, and the combined methods for diagnostic ability were 0.873, 0.917, and 0.962, respectively. Absence rates of MLHl, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 proteins were 15.3% (2/13), 0% (0/13), 7.7% (1/13), and 15.3% (2/13) in the 13 endometrial cancer samples.

Conclusion

Liquid-based cytology and microtissue histology samples from suction curettage combined IHC are useful for endometrial cancer screening.

When Less Is More – Pipelle Endometrial Sampling for Quantification of Uterine Natural Killer Cells in Patients With Recurrent Implantation Failure or Habitual Abortion

Despite recent advancements in reproductive medicine, recurrent implantation failure and habitual abortion remain ongoing issues. One of the most important aspects of successful implantation is the intricate immune response and regulation necessary for the acceptance of the hemiallogenic embryo. The most numerous immune cells in the decidua are uterine natural killer cells (uNK). Studies suggest that changes in the uNK count and physiology may be responsible for the aforementioned pathological conditions. Thus, testing for uNK may provide valuable insights into their pathogenesis. The study compared Pipelle endometrial sampling with conventional curettage to find out whether the less invasive Pipelle method is a viable alternative of tissue collection. Tissue samples from 14 patients obtained by both methods were examined. The average size of tissue samples obtained with Pipelle was 17 mm2, samples obtained with curettage had on average 34 mm2. Using immunohistochemical visualization of CD56 (NK cells) and granzyme B antigens (serine protease-expressing activation state of NK cells), it was found that the average total count of CD56 / mm2 was 115 for Pipelle and 120 for curettage, respectively. The study also proved a correlation between granzyme B positivity and identification of NK cells clusters. The results indicated that Pipelle endometrial sampling seems a suitable method of tissue harvesting for the purpose of uNK cells examination. Pipelle endometrial sampling is safe, cost-effective and can be performed on an outpatient basis without the need of anesthesia or analgesia. Several issues remain yet to be solved: how to standardize the subsequent uNK testing, how to interpret the results and finally yet importantly, how to use this knowledge in personalized treatment protocols.

Ferric carboxymaltose for treatment of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia caused by abnormal uterine bleeding

Introduction

Heavy menstrual bleeding leads to depletion of iron stores, with subsequent iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in treatment of ID/IDA caused by abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

Material and methods

One hundred and twenty women ≥ 40 years old with chronic AUB and ID/IDA were included in this study for correction of ID/IDA. Participants received FCM infusion for correction of ID/IDA. The pre-treatment ferritin, hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC) mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and RBC mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) values were compared with the 6- and 12-week post-treatment values.

Results

The pre-treatment ferritin and Hb levels significantly increased from 13.2 ±7.4 µg/l and 8.8 ±0.8 g/dl, respectively, to 111.5 ±5.6 µg/l and 13.9 ±0.6 g/dl, respectively, 6 weeks after FCM (p = 0.001 and 0.0009; respectively), and to 98.7 ±6.1 µg/l and 12.9 ±0.65 g/dl, respectively, 12 weeks after FCM (p = 0.01 and 0.01; respectively). In addition, the pre-treatment RBC MCV and RBC MCH values significantly increased from 74.3 ±2.3 fl and 26.6 ±5.3 pg, respectively, to 88.7 ±1.9 fl and 29.6 ±4.5 pg, respectively, 6 weeks after FCM (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively), and to 93.3 ±1.75 fl and 30.3 ±3.8 pg, respectively, 12 weeks after FCM (p = 0.001 and 0.0001, respectively).

Conclusions

FCM was safe and effective for correction of ID/IDA caused by chronic AUB within 6 weeks. The serum ferritin, Hb, and RBC indices remained significantly high compared to the pre-treatment values 12 weeks after FCM infusion.

When Less Is More - Pipelle Endometrial Sampling for Quantification of Uterine Natural Killer Cells in Patients With Recurrent Implantation Failure or Habitual Abortion

Despite recent advancements in reproductive medicine, recurrent implantation failure and habitual abortion remain ongoing issues. One of the most important aspects of successful implantation is the intricate immune response and regulation necessary for the acceptance of the hemiallogenic embryo. The most numerous immune cells in the decidua are uterine natural killer cells (uNK). Studies suggest that changes in the uNK count and physiology may be responsible for the aforementioned pathological conditions. Thus, testing for uNK may provide valuable insights into their pathogenesis. The study compared Pipelle endometrial sampling with conventional curettage to find out whether the less invasive Pipelle method is a viable alternative of tissue collection. Tissue samples from 14 patients obtained by both methods were examined. The average size of tissue samples obtained with Pipelle was 17 mm2, samples obtained with curettage had on average 34 mm2. Using immunohistochemical visualization of CD56 (NK cells) and granzyme B antigens (serine protease-expressing activation state of NK cells), it was found that the average total count of CD56 / mm2 was for Pipelle 115 and 120 for curettage, respectively. The study also proved a correlation between granzyme B positivity and identification of NK cells clusters. The results indicated that Pipelle endometrial sampling seems a suitable method of tissue harvesting for the purpose of uNK cells examination. Pipelle endometrial sampling is safe, cost-effective and can be performed on an outpatient basis without the need of anesthesia or analgesia. Several issues remain yet to be solved: how to standardize the subsequent uNK testing, how to interpret the results and finally yet importantly, how to use this knowledge in personalized treatment protocols.

Manual vacuum aspiration (women's MVA) for endometrial biopsy for patients with suspected endometrial malignancies

AIM

Endometrial biopsy is generally performed with a metal uterine curette sonde; however, recently, many types of vacuum aspirators are available, including the manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) system. We used the women's MVA system for endometrial sampling and evaluated its effectiveness in determining the presence of endometrial malignancy.

METHODS

Forty-seven samples were examined using the following procedures after measuring endometrial thickness by transvaginal ultrasonography: fractional curettage biopsy (Bx; 20 samples), total curettage under general anesthesia (T/C; 13 samples), and MVA (14 samples). The quality of the endometrial samples was classified into four types: 1-4, where 1 denoted poor and 4, good quality.

RESULTS

The mean score of the MVA group was significantly higher than that of the partial curettage biopsy group (p = 0.0065). No differences were observed between the MVA and total curettage groups (p = 1.00). When patients were divided into two groups according to endometrial thickness (<10 mm or ≥10 mm) and analyzed, both the MVA and T/C groups did not show a significant difference in their scores compared to the Bx group when the endometrial thickness was <10 mm. However, when the endometrial thickness was ≥10 mm, the MVA and T/C groups had significantly better scores than the Bx group (p = 0.0225 and p = 0.0244, respectively). Vagal reflex, as an adverse event, was observed only in two patients in the Bx group (2/20, 10%).

CONCLUSION

Considering its quality and safety, Karman-type MVA for endometrial sampling could be an alternative to fractional curettage using a metallic uterine curette sonde.

Pipelle endometrial biopsy for abnormal uterine bleeding: do patient's pain and anxiety really impact on sampling success rate?

BACKGROUND

Pipelle endometrial biopsy is vital for the early diagnostics of endometrial pathology and is performed in outpatient setting in minimally invasive manner. One of the reported disadvantages of sampling with Pipelle curette is failure to collect enough tissue for histological analysis. The role of psychological factors such as anxiety and pain sensitivity in obtaining adequate samples is not well known. The study's objective was to explore whether there is relationship between severe pain, anxiety, and the rate of Pipelle failure.

METHODS

Study included 158 women with median age of 42 who underwent Pipelle endometrial biopsy at Clinical Academic Department of Women's Health of the University Medical Center (UMC), Nur-Sultan City, Kazakhstan with an abnormal uterine bleeding from June 2019 to April 2021. Women were asked to fill survey on pain, anxiety before, during and after the procedure.

RESULTS

3.8%, 15.19% and 4.43% of women reported severe pain and 39.24%, 34.18% and 14.56% of women reported severe anxiety prior, during and after procedure, respectively. Women who experienced severe pain during procedure tend to be more anxious during procedure (p = 0.0001) and have higher number of sampling attempts (p = 0.0040). Pain level was higher among patients sampled by the junior OB/GYN specialist (p < 0.0001). We found no differences in Pipelle biopsy success rates in relationship to baseline, during and postprocedural pain and anxiety scores.

CONCLUSION

Anxiety during procedure performance was significantly associated with severe pain during the procedure but did not represent a key element for the success of Pipelle biopsy.

Pipelle endometrial sampling success rates in Kazakhstani settings: results from a prospective cohort analysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of Pipelle endometrial sampling and to explore factors influencing Pipelle success rate in the clinical settings of Kazakhstan. This prospective analysis included 87 patients who had undergone Pipelle biopsy due to medical indications for endometrial sampling. We analysed physician and patient-related factors potentially influencing the success rate of this method. Pipelle endometrial biopsy overall success rate was 82.76%. The indications for the procedure and patients' age were key factors influencing Pipelle sampling success (p < .001). The success rate was the highest in the group with abnormal uterine bleeding as a biopsy indication in the reproductive age group (93.19%; p < .001).Pipelle biopsy was found to be an acceptable option for endometrial sampling in our clinical setting; at the same time, physicians should consider the potential influencing factors on its success rate like indications for the procedure, BMI and patients' age as well as their menopausal status. In order to provide precise future directions, there is a need to study a larger number of patients.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Compared to dilation and curettage sampling conducted in the operation room, Pipelle endometrial sampling is relatively inexpensive, associated with less morbidity, safe, accurate, and can be performed in an office setting.What do the results of this study add? This is the first prospective data analysis about Pipelle endometrial sampling in Kazakhstani population.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Enabling the timely diagnosis of current endometrial pathology, Pipelle endometrial sampling approach may have an important impact on healthcare safety and efficiency, and improve overall treatment outcomes and the quality of life of Kazakhstani population if used consistently.

A Study on Diagnostic Evaluation of Two Different Rapid DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction Techniques Namely Gene Xpert Mycobacterium Tuberculosis/Rifampin (MTB/RIF) and Mycoreal Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis of Endometrial Tuberculosis Considering Culture as Gold Standard

Context:

The study involves the evaluation of two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques one of which has been endorsed by the WHO for their diagnostic capabilities.

Aims:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert mycobacterium tuberculosis/Rifampin (MTB/RIF) and mycoreal PCR techniques in the diagnosis of endometrial tuberculosis (TB) considering culture as the gold standard.

Settings and Design:

A retrospective study conducted at Gunasheela surgical and maternity hospital. Patients who attended the outpatient department between January 2013 and August 2016, satisfying the eligibility criteria, were included in the study.

Methodology:

Women included in the study underwent endometrial pipelle sampling premenstrually after ruling out pregnancy in that cycle. Endometrial samples were tested for TB by Mycoreal PCR, Gene Xpert and BACTEC culture.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Statistical analysis was done using the R software version 3.6.1. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of test were calculated.

Results:

A total of 3229 samples were analyzed, of which 1754 were evaluated by Mycoreal TB PCR and 1475 were evaluated by Gene Xpert MTB/RIF assay. The sensitivity of mycoreal TB PCR technique was 34.78%, specificity was 99.08%, PPV was 33.33%, NPV was 99.13%, and accuracy was 98.23%. The sensitivity of GeneXpert MTB/RIF technique was 6.90%, specificity was 99.79%, PPV was 40.00%, NPV was 98.16%, and accuracy was 97.97%.

Conclusions:

MYCOREAL seemed to be more sensitive than Gene Xpert (MTB/RIF) considering culture as the gold standard in the diagnosis of endometrial TB.

ES Sampler, a minimally invasive endometrial sampling tool that obtains specimens suitable for both cytological and histological analysis

AIM

Conventional endometrial examination by dilatation and curettage (D&C) is not accepted by many patients because it is associated with pain and risk of injury and typically requires anesthesia and hospitalization. While several less invasive endometrial screening tools have been developed, their diagnostic value is generally inferior to D&C. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new, minimally invasive device, called the ES Sampler, for outpatient endometrial screening.

METHODS

This was a single-blind study of 96 patients (age: 36.8 ± 8.1 years) who attended Peking Union Medical College Hospital from March 2015 to August 2016. Specimens were collected from each participant using the ES Sampler, followed by traditional D&C by hysteroscopy, and evaluated by histology and/or cytology. The sampling adequacy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were compared, and patient acceptability was assessed.

RESULTS

Compared to traditional D&C, the ES Sampler exhibited 99.0% sampling adequacy, and the combined (histology and cytology) results demonstrated 88.9% sensitivity, 95.6% specificity, 88.9% positive predictive value, 95.6% negative predictive value, and 93.7% accuracy. Moreover, the majority of study participants reported mild or no pain associated with the ES Sampler, and blood loss was minimal.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the minimally invasive ES Sampler is a reliable and accurate endometrial screening tool that is easily accepted by patients. The ES Sampler could be useful for screening high-risk patients who may need further, more invasive examination, thereby conserving medical resources and minimizing patient discomfort.

Aspiration biopsy versus dilatation and curettage for endometrial hyperplasia prior to hysterectomy

Background

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of aspiration biopsy and dilatation and curettage (D&C) in patients diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia prior to hysterectomy.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 250 patients diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia by endometrial sampling between July 2003 and March 2020. Endometrial sampling was performed by aspiration biopsy (n = 150) or D&C (n = 100), followed by hysterectomy within 6 months. Pathological findings of hysterectomy specimens of the two groups were compared to preoperative findings.

Results

The overall diagnostic concordance between endometrial sampling specimen including D&C and aspiration biopsy, and hysterectomy specimen was 51.0% (51/100) and 41.3% (62/150), respectively. Patients whose preoperative specimen was obtained by D&C were upgraded less significantly than those who underwent aspiration biopsy (21.0% vs 36.7%; P = 0.008). In particular, significantly fewer patients were upgraded after D&C than after aspiration biopsy in hyperplasia without atypia (12.5% vs 29.0%; P = 0.028). In addition, when the final pathological upgrade rate to endometrial carcinoma was evaluated between the two methods of endometrial sampling, significantly fewer cases were noted after D&C than after aspiration biopsy (15.0% vs 27.3%; P = 0.022).

Conclusions

In our study, D&C more accurately reflected the final diagnosis in patients with endometrial hyperplasia than aspiration biopsy based on the histological examination of hysterectomy specimens. When considering the management strategy for women with an endometrial hyperplasia diagnosis obtained by aspiration biopsy, physicians should consider the significant rate of upgraded diseases with this method of endometrial sampling.

Diagnostic Values of Pipelle and Standard Curettage Compared to Hysterectomy Pathology in Postmenopausal Bleeding: A Comparative Study

Background

Postmenopausal bleeding might occur due to many benign and malignant underlying diseases. Differentiating between these diseases poses a great importance. This study was designed to compare the diagnostic value of pipelle endometrial sampling and curettage in patients with postmenopausal bleeding. Further, the results were compared with hysterectomy if performed.

Materials and Methods

Eighty-seven patients with postmenopausal bleeding were included. Pipelle sampling endometrial biopsy was performed for patients in office, and then, patients were transferred to the operation room for dilatation and curettage. Pathology results of pipelle sampling were compared with curettage method. If hysterectomy was performed due to any reason, it was compared as well.

Results

The pipelle sampling biopsy diagnosed 94.1% of malignant tumors, and curettage sampling biopsy diagnosed 100% of malignant tumors. The sensitivity and specificity of pipelle compared to curettage were 94.12% and 100%, respectively, for the diagnosis of malignant tumors. Based on the Kappa test, the agreement between pipelle and curettage sampling biopsy was statistically significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The endometrial sampling with pipelle is safe and cost-effective in patients referred with postmenopausal bleeding. This might avoid the need for general anesthesia for the detection of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial malignancy.

A Clinical Comparative Study of Two Different Endometrial Cell Samplers for Evaluation of Endometrial Lesions by Cytopathological Diagnosis

Purpose

Cytopathology detecting for endometrial cancer is becoming accepted, and Tao Brush is the most widely used sampler for endometrial cells. This study aims to compare the effectiveness between Li brushes and Tao brushes for the diagnosis of endometrial lesions and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of endometrial cytology compared with histology.

Methods

There were 109 patients needing dilation and curettage (D&C) and 21 patients needing hysterectomies included from November 2017 to April 2018. Every patient was sampled by Tao brush and Li brush before D&C or hysterectomy performed. The cytological results were compared based on the gold standard histological results of D&C or hysterectomy.

Results

The sensitivity of Li brush cytology for detecting endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia was estimated at 83.33%, specificity at 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) at 100%, and negative predictive value (NPV) at 98.02%, respectively. While for the Tao brush, it was 91.67% of sensitivity, 96.04% of specificity, 73.33% of PPV, and 98.98% of NPV, respectively. The kappa value was 0.767, which indicated a substantial agreement. Cytology by both two brushes had a lower insufficient sample rate (2.75% of Tao brush, 4.59% of Li brush) than did D&C (11.93%).

Discussion

Endometrial cytology is a reliable approach for evaluating endometrium with a lower insufficient sample rate. Cytology sampled by both Li brushes and Tao brushes has a high accuracy with histological diagnosis in detecting endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia. Combining social and economic benefits, the Li brush may be a better endometrial cell collector.

Severe adenomyosis with unexpectedly high CA-125: report of a rare case

A 46-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and abnormal uterine bleeding over the last year. She had a history of failed cyclic progesterone with tranexamic acid over the last 3 months to control her bleeding attacks. She had a tender pelvi-abdominal mass of 28 weeks’ gestation size. Therapeutic curettage was performed, followed by correction of her iron deficiency anemia with intravenous iron.

The trans-abdominal ultrasound of the pelvi-abdominal mass showed asymmetrical myometrial thickening, predominantly its anterior wall, with myometrial hyperechoic regions surrounded by hypoechoic areas suggestive of adenomyosis uterus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation.

The MRI evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of adenomyosis uterus and showed diffuse asymmetrical uterine adenomyosis, predominantly its anterior myometrial wall, with an ill-defined endo-myometrial junction. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy and bilateral ovarian conservation was performed after departmental approval and the patient’s consent.

The routine pre-operative investigations were completely normal except the cancer antigen (CA-125) which was unexpectedly high (1658 and 1046 IU/ml repeated twice two days apart). The histological examination of the surgical removed uterus confirmed the diagnosis of adenomyosis uterus and the pre-operative high CA-125 decreased to 22 IU/ml (normal range 0-35 IU/ml) one week after surgery.

Accuracy of Karman endometrial aspiration in comparison to conventional D and C in women with AUB at tertiary care hospital in North West Rajasthan

Background:

Approximately 33% of all gynaecological consultations are associated with abnormal vaginal bleeding, and this proportion increases to 70% in the peri and postmenopausal years.

Aims and Objective:

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of Karman's cannula endometrial aspiration histopathology versus dilatation and curettage in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Methodology:

In total 100 women of all age groups with a clinical diagnosis of AUB were included in this prospective comparative study. Endometrial aspiration with Karman cannula was performed in the operation theatre prior to curettage to maintain synchronization during sampling.

Results:

In our study, no significant difference was observed between Karman and D and C regarding sample adequacy (P = 0.07), HPE findings (P = 1) and concordance rate with hysterectomy specimen (P = 1). 95% of the samples obtained by Karman and 98% of those obtained by D and C were adequate. For obtaining an adequate sample by Karman the sensitivity and accuracy was 96.94% and 96% when compared with D and C. Karman and D and C had comparable concordance rates (95% and 95%) with hysterectomy specimen. Karman endometrial sampling is an easy procedure when compared to D and C (P = 0.007). With considering D and C as gold standard Karman endometrial sampling demonstrated 100% accuracy for diagnosing adenocarcinoma, endometrial hyperplasia.

Conclusion:

Endometrial aspiration with Karman cannula is an easy, safe, cost-effective, accurate, convenient method of achieving histopathological diagnosis. It can be done as an outpatient procedure without analgesia and anaesthesia when compared to D and C which is expensive and invasive method and requires hospitalization and general anaesthesia.

Comparison of aspirating pipettes and hysteroscopy with curettage

PURPOSE

In this prospective study, endometrial biopsy by pipette was compared with hysteroscopy with curettage in patients with an abnormal uterine bleeding (ABU) (hypermenorrhea, intermediate bleeding, continuous bleeding, postmenopausal bleeding) and patients with a sonographically abnormal endometrium.

METHODS

176 patients were included. The pipette samples were taken during the usual planned procedure under general anaesthesia. Thereafter, the planned hysteroscopy with curettage was completed. The study was performed as a double-blind study. The obtained histologies (of pipelle and curettage) were sent separately to the same pathologist. The pipelle material was encoded by a specific number without any patient data.

RESULTS

In 97% of the cases using the biopsy with pipette were obtained an adequate sample. The biopsy with pipette had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% in the diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma and atypical hyperplasia. Pipette showed a significantly lower accuracy with a sensitivity of 28% in the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia without atypia. Pipette showed the lowest sensitivity for polyps, myomas and atrophic endometrium.

CONCLUSION

The study shows that pipette sampling is a safe, accurate, low-cost ambulatory procedure with high sensitivity for the detection of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma. In the case of sonographically definable findings (polyp, myoma), hysteroscopy with curettage is preferred.

Histological Sampling of Endometrial Tissue: Comparison between the MedGyn® Endosampler and Formal Fractional Curettage in Patients with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

BACKGROUND

Several methods have been used for evaluation of the endometrial pathology in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. Endometrial biopsy is one of the primary methods used for diagnostic evaluation, which is a minimally invasive approach. The aim of this study was to compare the adequacy yield of samples obtained by MedGyn® Endosampler with Formal Fractional Curettage.

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to compare the endometrial tissue quality and diagnostic accuracy between MedGyn® Endosampler and Formal Fractional Curettage in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding.

METHODS

A total of 85 endometrial tissue samples were tested by the MedGyn® Endosampler, followed by Formal Fractional Curettage, from patients at Phrapokklao Hospital who were eligible for the study and met the inclusion criteria for uterine curettage. Samples were collected between August, 2018 and April, 2019. Both operations were performed by the same investigator. The samples were submitted separately and sent to the same pathologist.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 46.92 ± 6.94 years. 91.76% (78/85) of the samples obtained by Formal Fractional Curettage and 89.41% (76/85) of the samples obtained by MedGyn® Endosampler device were adequate for histopathological examination. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.317). The pathological results of endometrial tissue from both techniques were the same in 67 patients (78.82%) and different in 14 patients (16.47%). MedGyn® Endosampler was six times more cost effective when compared to Formal Fractional Curettage.

CONCLUSIONS

Endometrial sampling using MedGyn® Endosampler is a safe, adequate, accurate, cost effective outpatient procedure which precludes general anesthesia. Therefore, it could be an alternative method for endometrial sampling.

Validation of Molecular Typing for Endometrial Screening Test That Predicts Benign and Malignant Lesions

The aim of this study is to examine the immunocytochemical expression of p53, Ki-67, and CA125 in endometrial brush samples for endometrial cancer. Forty-four patients were recruited with liquid-based cytology preparations during a 5-month period. Both the histological and cytological samples were assessed by histology based on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and the expression of p53, CA125, and Ki-67 in endometrial cells was examined by immunocytochemistry. The percentage and intensity of endometrial cells were scored on a scale of 0-3. The final score was calculated by the addition of all partial scores, and then Probit model was used to predict the possibility for malignant lesions. The mean immunoreactivity score of the three immunocytochemical biomarkers (p53, CA125, and Ki-67) in the positive group (including atypical hyperplastic cells and malignant cells) was significantly higher than in the negative group (benign cells and non-atypical hyperplastic cells). The possibility value of the positive group was also significantly higher than the negative group (P < 0.05). The cutoff value of the possibility value was 0.754, the sensitivity and specificity of which were 86.4 and 95.5%. The assessment of p53, CA125, and Ki-67 combined with the prediction model is valuable for the detection of endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia in endometrial cytology.

Endometrial Cytology as a Method to Improve the Accuracy of Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer: Case Report and Meta-Analysis

More and more researchers have reported that dilatation and curettage (D&C) or Pipelle had low accuracy, high misdiagnosis, and insufficient rate. Endometrial cytology is often compared with histology and seems to be an efficient method for the diagnosis of endometrial disorders, especially endometrial cancer. We report a case of misdiagnosed endometrial cancer by D&C, but with a positive cytopathological finding. Following that, a meta-analysis including 4,179 patients of endometrial diseases with cyto-histopathological results was performed to assess the value of the endometrial cytological method in endometrial cancer diagnosis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of the cytological method in detecting endometrial atypical hyperplasia or cancer was 0.91[95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.97] and 0.96 (95% CI 0.90-0.99), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio was 25.4 (95% CI 8.1-80.1) and 0.10 (95% CI 0.00-0.30), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio which was usually used to evaluate the diagnostic test performance reached 260 (95% CI 36-1905). So we recommend that D&C and Pipelle are still practical procedures to evaluate the endometrium, cytological examinations should be utilized as an additional endometrial assessment method.

An Efficacious Endometrial Sampler for Screening Endometrial Cancer

Recently, the research on early detection of precancerous change and endometrial carcinoma has been focusing on minimally invasive procedures for screening. On this basis, we aim to verify the feasibility of endometrial samplers for screening endometrial cancer using Li Brush. We recruited patients undergoing hysterectomy for different diseases from the Inpatient Department of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Before surgery, endometrial cells were collected by Li Brush. The cytopathologic diagnosis from Li Brush and the histopathologic diagnosis from hysterectomy in the same patient were compared to calculate sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), false-negative rate (FNR), false-positive rate (FPR), positive predictive value (PV+) %, and negative predictive value (PV-). The research enrolled 293 women into this self-controlled trial. According to the hypothesis test of paired four lattices, we obtained the following indicators: Se 92.73, Sp 98.15, FNR 7.27, FPR 1.85, PV+92.73, and PV−98.15%. The endometrial sampler Li Brush is an efficacious instrument for screening endometrial cancer.

Study of the Efficacy of Pipelle Biopsy Technique to Diagnose Endometrial Diseases in Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Background:

Pipelle biopsy is ideal for obtaining endometrial sample in outpatient department. It samples only 4% of the endometrial surface and has sensitivity up to 97%. A positive biopsy can avoid inconvenience to a patient, but a nonspecific finding should be interpreted with caution. Thus, the objectives of this study were to analyze the efficacy of pipelle biopsy by adequacy of the sample obtained and also to establish the reliability by comparing the histopathology report obtained by pipelle biopsy with that of the hysterectomy specimen.

Materials and Methods:

A prospective study conducted at a tertiary care hospital on 104 women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). They were scheduled for pipelle endometrial sampling before hysterectomy. The sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values, and accuracy of pipelle biopsy in diagnosing various endometrial pathologies were analyzed. The validity of pipelle biopsy was studied for endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma and their statistical significance was tested.

Results:

The overall concordance rate was 63.8%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of pipelle biopsy for endometrial hyperplasia was 64.2%, 88.8%, 94.1%, 85.5%, and 47.3% and for endometrial carcinoma was 75%, 100%, 100%, 97.9%, and 98%, respectively. The P value for endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma was 0.001 (statistically significant).

Conclusion:

Pipelle biopsy is valuable in diagnosing endometrial pathology of AUB cases. It has very high sensitivity and specificity for endometrial malignancies. A hysteroscopic dilatation and curettage is required for definitive diagnosis in cases of polyps and focal endometrial lesions.

Novel approaches to early detection of endometrial cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Detection of endometrial cancer at an early stage leads to better oncologic outcomes. To date, a screening test for endometrial cancer does not exist.

RECENT FINDINGS

Evolving knowledge of molecular changes involved in endometrial cancer carcinogenesis paired with sensitive and high-throughput technological advancements are a promising combination that can be leveraged to detect tumor DNA and proteins. These molecular biomarkers can be identified in biospecimens collected via minimally invasive and noninvasive approaches. Exploiting lower genital tract secretions as a biospecimen also allows for patient self-sampling.

SUMMARY

Successful development of a screening test for endometrial cancer using self-collected lower genital tract biospecimens has the potential to increase accessibility to care and improve patient compliance.

Advances in endometrial cancer protein biomarkers for use in the clinic

INTRODUCTION

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth most common cancer in women in developed countries. The identification of sensitive and specific biomarkers to improve early detection of EC is crucial for an appropriate management of this disease, in which 30% of patients are diagnosed only at advanced stages, which is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Despite major efforts and investments made to identify EC biomarkers, no protein has yet reached the stage of clinical application. Areas covered: This review gathers the numerous candidate biomarkers for EC diagnosis proposed in proteomic studies published from 1978 to 2017. Additionally, we summarize limitations associated with the proteomic technologies and study designs employed in those articles. Finally, we address new perspectives in EC biomarker research, including the comprehensive knowledge of previously suggested candidate biomarkers in conjunction with novel mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies with enhanced sensitivity and specificity not yet applied to EC studies and a directed clinical perspective in the study design. Expert commentary: These ingredients could be the recipe to accelerate the application of protein biomarkers in the clinic.

Targeted Proteomics Identifies Proteomic Signatures in Liquid Biopsies of the Endometrium to Diagnose Endometrial Cancer and Assist in the Prediction of the Optimal Surgical Treatment

Purpose: Endometrial cancer (EC) diagnosis relies on the observation of tumor cells in endometrial biopsies obtained by aspiration (i.e., uterine aspirates), but it is associated with 22% undiagnosed patients and up to 50% of incorrectly assigned EC histotype and grade. We aimed to identify biomarker signatures in the fluid fraction of these biopsies to overcome these limitations.Experimental Design: The levels of 52 proteins were measured in the fluid fraction of uterine aspirates from 116 patients by LC-PRM, the latest generation of targeted mass-spectrometry acquisition. A logistic regression model was used to assess the power of protein panels to differentiate between EC and non-EC patients and between EC histologic subtypes. The robustness of the panels was assessed by the "leave-one-out" cross-validation procedure performed within the same cohort of patients and an independent cohort of 38 patients.Results: The levels of 28 proteins were significantly higher in patients with EC (n = 69) compared with controls (n = 47). The combination of MMP9 and KPYM exhibited 94% sensitivity and 87% specificity for detecting EC cases. This panel perfectly complemented the standard diagnosis, achieving 100% of correct diagnosis in this dataset. Nine proteins were significantly increased in endometrioid EC (n = 49) compared with serous EC (n = 20). The combination of CTNB1, XPO2, and CAPG achieved 95% sensitivity and 96% specificity for the discrimination of these subtypes.Conclusions: We developed two uterine aspirate-based signatures to diagnose EC and classify tumors in the most prevalent histologic subtypes. This will improve diagnosis and assist in the prediction of the optimal surgical treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6458-67. ©2017 AACR.

Current strategies in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer

PURPOSE

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in developed countries. There are no uniform recommendations for endometrial cancer screening in the general population. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the primary physician profoundly understands, and is familiar with the methods for prevention and early detection of endometrial cancer. The aim of this review is to provide the primary physician with a toolbox to reach these goals.

METHODS

We performed a systemic review to summarize the current strategies to diagnose and prevent endometrial cancer. Many published articles from the last years were identified and included.

RESULTS

A systematic review that summarizes the important subjects in the diagnosis and prevention of endometrial cancer.

CONCLUSION

Maintaining a high index of suspicion and obtaining endometrial biopsies from all suspected patients is the key for achieving a timely diagnosis.

Endometrial sampling devices for early diagnosis of endometrial lesions

Purpose

Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecologic malignancy in both developed and some developing countries. Unlike cervical cancer, for which there is routine screening, only patients symptomatic for endometrial carcinoma typically seek medical help for its diagnosis and treatment. Dilatation and curettage (D&C) has been the standard procedure for evaluating suspicious endometrial lesions. The discomfort and injury caused by the D&C procedure, however, restrict its use as a screening method for early diagnosis of endometrial lesions. High-risk endometrial cancer patients would benefit from an effective and low-cost screening test. In recent years, several endometrial devices have been developed and proposed as screening tools.

Methods

We have reviewed and evaluated the literature relating to the endometrial sampling devices in clinical use or clinical trials, with the goal of comparing devices and identifying the most appropriate ones for screening for endometrial lesions. Eligible literature was identified from systematic PubMed searches, and the relevant data were extracted. Comments, letters, unpublished data, conference proceedings, and case reports were excluded from our search. Seventy-four articles on endometrial sampling devices were obtained for this review.

Results

The main screening devices for endometrial carcinoma are aspiration devices (such as the Vabra aspirator), Pipelle, Tao Brush, and SAP-1 device. Among these devices, the Tao Brush is the most promising endometrial sampler for screening for endometrial lesions. However, its sampling insufficiency, cost, and unsuccessful insertion rate (20 % in nulliparous and 8 % in parous women) are problematic.

Conclusions

A more accurate and low-cost endometrial sampler, with improved specimen sufficiency and higher sensitivity for endometrial lesions, needs tobe developed and clinically verified.

Comparison the Diagnostic Value of Dilatation and Curettage Versus Endometrial Biopsy by Pipelle--a Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Several methods have been presented for the evaluation of the endometrium in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, which include minimal invasive and invasive approaches such as diagnostic curettage or endometrial biopsy by Pipelle. Many studies have been performed in order to compare two methods; diagnostic curettage and outpatient endometrial biopsy. This investigation compared sampling adequacy, endometrial histopathology, failure rates, duration and costs between diagnostic curettage in a hospital and endometrial biopsy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single blind clinical trial was performed on 130 patients older than 35 years who was referred to Amir training hospital in 2013 for elective diagnostic curettage because of abnormal uterine bleeding. For all patients eligible for the study, an endometrial sample by Pipelle was taken without anesthesia or dilatation. Then under general anesthesia diagnostic curettage was performed by sharp curette. Sampling duration was calculated and both samples were sent to the same pathologist. The diagnostic values of two methods in the diagnosis of normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma were compared. The costs of these two methods were also compared. Data analysis was performed by SPSS (version 16.0) software. Chi-Square, Fisher, and Pearson tests were used and were considered statistically significant at P values less than 0.05.

RESULTS

Two methods were agreed upon 88% of sampling adequacy and 94% of pathological results. Specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 90% for detection of proliferative endometrium, secretory endometrium, simple hyperplasia without atypia and 100% for cancer were recorded. Pipelle diagnostic accuracy in comparison with curettage, have been reported over 97%, so the failure rate in this study was below 5%. Sensitivity of Pipelle for detection of atrophic endometrium was reported below 50%. Duration and cost was lower in Pipelle versus curettage.

CONCLUSIONS

It is concluded that due to high agreement and cohesion coefficient between curettage and Pipelle on the issue of sampling adequacy, histopathology finding (except atrophic endometrium), low failure rate, duration of sampling and cost, Pipelle can be introduced as a suitable alternative of diagnostic curettage.

Comparison of tissue adequacy for histologic examination from Ipas MVA plus and Wallach Endocell in women with abnormal uterine bleeding

AIM

The aim of this study was to compare endometrial tissue adequacy sampling by Wallach Endocell and manual vacuum aspiration (Ipas MVA plus) in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Pain and immediate complications from each method were also compared.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two hundred and forty women with abnormal uterine bleeding were randomly assigned to two methods of endometrial sampling: MVA (n = 122) and Endocell (n = 118). The basic characteristic features of the women, the difficulty of the procedure, pain score by visual analogue scale, immediate complications, and treatment were recorded. Endometrial tissue adequacy and histopathologic diagnoses were evaluated.

RESULTS

The adequacy of tissue samples was 81.1% in the MVA group and 85.6% in the Endocell group (P = 0.356). There was a significant difference in the rates of difficult procedure between the two groups (27.0% in MVA vs 14.4% in Endocell; P = 0.016). Moderate to severe pain was significantly higher in the MVA group compared to the Endocell group: 60.7% and 19.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). Other immediate minor complications were also observed to be significantly higher in the MVA group (44.3%) than in the Endocell group (30.5%) (P = 0.028). Although medication required for pain was higher in the MVA group (23.0%) than in the Endocell group (12.0%), the difference was not significant (P = 0.130). The two most common histopathologic findings obtained from MVA and Endocell specimens were proliferative endometrium (32.4%) and atrophic endometrium (27.1%).

CONCLUSION

MVA was comparable to Endocell in terms of tissue adequacy. Moderate to severe pain was experienced significantly more in the MVA group; however, the requirement of pain treatment was not significantly different between the groups.

Endometrial histology in severely obese bariatric surgery candidates: an exploratory analysis

BACKGROUND

Endometrial pathology risk has been linked to obesity; however, little is known of its prevalence in severely obese women not seeking care for endometrial pathology associated symptoms. This pilot study was designed to explore the frequency and risk factors associated with endometrial pathology in cancer-free, severely obese, bariatric surgery candidates using the Pipelle endometrial sampling technique (SureFlex Preferred Curette, Bioteque America, Inc, New Taipei City, Taiwan).

METHODS

Twenty-nine severely obese bariatric surgery candidates with intact uteruses and no history of endometrial cancer or endometrial ablation were included in this subanalysis from a larger cohort of 47. Endometrial samples were obtained using a Pipelle endometrial suction curette at a single time point before surgery. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between body mass index and endometrial pathology when adjusting for age and race.

RESULTS

Of the 29 successful biopsies, 8 (27.6%) were classified as abnormal endometrium: 1 was classified as complex atypical hyperplasia, 1 was classified as hyperplasia without atypia, 4 samples were identified with endometrial polyps, and 2 samples were identified with metaplasia. None presented with cancer. Increasing body mass index was significantly associated with higher risk of abnormal endometrium (OR = 1.19, 95% CI [1.03-1.36], P = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings in this sample suggest that obesity may be associated with increased risk of having undiagnosed endometrial pathology. More thorough examination of relationships between levels of obesity and endometrial pathology are needed to better characterize high cancer risk groups who may benefit from introducing new screening measures.