Cribado de cáncer cervical con citología y test del virus del papiloma humano cada 5 años: una realidad

Objective

To analyze screening for cervical cancer with a combination of cytology and HPV testing in women older than 35 years every 5 years and to determine whether the application of this protocol delays diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Material and methods

Cervical cancer screening strategies have been applied in our hospital since 2005. HPV testing was introduced in 2010 for women older than 35 years. We performed a retrospective study of 500 women attended in our hospital. We studied whether we had correctly applied the strategy and the recommended time interval of the next review. We analyzed cervical cancers diagnosed in our hospital since 2005.

Results

The strategy was correctly applied in 100% of the women. Screening was performed with both cytology and HPV testing in 45.6% and with cytology alone in 23.2%; no screening was performed in 31.2%. The recommended interval until the next review was 5 years in 26% of the patients. The implementation of the strategy did not delay the diagnosis of cancer. Cervical cancer was diagnosed in 27 women since 2005. Only one woman with adenocarcinoma had been correctly screened (before the introduction of HPV testing). In the last 2 years, four microinvasive carcinomas were diagnosed with this strategy.

Conclusions

A combination of cytology and HPV testing can be applied in women older than 35 years and screening intervals can be increased to 5 years in routine clinical practice. This protocol does not delay the diagnosis of cervical cancer and optimizes resources by lengthening the interval between screening tests in healthy women.     

Cáncer cervical uterino en el área sanitaria III de Asturias: eficacia del cribado oportunista

Objective

To investigate the number of invasive cervical carcinomas detected in our hospital over a 10-year period (1996-2005), to study the mean age at diagnosis of squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas, and the relation of cervical screening in its diagnosis. Establish the mean number of negative smears in women without cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) infection.

Material and methods

Data on all diagnoses of cervical cancer, the presence of smear tests prior to biopsy, and the interval between the two procedures were gathered. The Mann-Whitney test was applied. The mean number of negative cytologies without evidence of HPV infection during the period studied was established.

Results

Between 1996 and 2005, 67 cervical carcinomas (49 squamous cell carcinomas and 18 adenocarcinomas) were diagnosed. In 40% cytology had never been performed. The mean age at diagnosis was 59 years for squamous cell carcinoma and was 49 years for adenocarcinoma. The mean number of negative cytologies per healthy woman was 3.59.

Conclusions

Opportunistic screening for cervical cancer, the most common form of screening in Spain, is not accessible to many women with cervical carcinoma and wastes substantial healthcare resources on performing unneccessary cytologies in healthy women.     

Cribado del cáncer cervicouterino en colectivos de mujeres asintomáticas con factores de riesgo

Objectives

To determine the rates of cervical and vaginal disease in groups of asymptomatic women with risk factors and their degree of adhesion to the screening program.

Patients and methods

269 asimptomatic women attended during 1 year (1998) were interrogated in relation to risk practices; they underwent pap smear, colposcopy-biopsy of the cervix and determination of antibodies for VIH. A follow-up was made during 5 years.

Results

The prevalence of intaepithelial lesions was 26.8% and the accumulated incidence was 10.4%; 62.5% of the women never returned to revision more, whereas 37.6% returned at least once.

Conclusions

The women of the studied groups show high rates of cervical-vaginal pathology and high risk of developing cervical cancer. The adhesion of these women to the screening program is very low. Because of the low precision of the citology, this women must undergo a second screening test.     

Análisis inicial de eficiencia en la aplicación clínica de las nuevas recomendaciones para la prevención secundaria del cáncer de cuello de útero

Aim

To evaluate the efficiency of the application of the new cervical cancer screening recommendations sponsored by the Spanish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Material and methods

A total of 631 women, aged 30 years or older, who attended the Gynecology Unit of the Santa Cristina Hospital, Madrid, for cervical cancer screening underwent cervical cytology and DNA/human papilloma virus determination (Hybrid Capture 2).

Results

Analysis of the hospital's costs showed that the new prevention strategy generated an estimated saving of 198.47 € per woman undergoing cervical cancer screening.

Conclusions

The new cervical cancer screening recommendations sponsored by the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics are highly efficient.     

Screening history preceding a diagnosis of cervical cancer in women age 65 and older

Objective

To characterize the antecedent screening of women 65 years of age and older diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Methods

Screening histories of women 65 years of age and older who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2003 and 2008 were examined utilizing the organization's databases and the regional Cancer Registry. Stopping screening was recommended at age 65 for members who had either 3 consecutive negative Paps or a single negative Pap plus HPV test (“cotest”).

Results

From 2003 through 2008 there were 56 Kaiser Permanente Northern California members 65 years of age and older diagnosed with cervical cancer. During the same time period there were 1,323,100 woman-years of membership in women age 65 and older. The risk of invasive cancer among women age 65 and older was 4.2/100,000/year in 2003-2008. 33 of 56 (59%) had one or more Pap smears prior to diagnosis. Of the 33, 14 women (25%) had 3 consecutive negative Pap smears prior to diagnosis. Three of 46,401 women with 1 or more negative cotests at age 65 and older were subsequently diagnosed with invasive cancer during 132,639 women-years of follow-up (2.3/100,000/year).

Conclusions

Most cervical cancers diagnosed at age 65 and older occur in women who have not met our criteria for stopping screening. A few cancers will continue to occur at age 65 and older despite multiple negative tests, as is true in other age groups. We currently have no evidence that these cancers would be prevented with continued screening at ages 65 and older.     

Estudio comparativo de conizaciones realizadas en la provincia de Segovia antes y después del uso del test del virus del papiloma humano (2007-2010)

Objective

To assess epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic changes in the province of Segovia since the introduction of techniques for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical cancer screening in women aged more than 30 years in primary care in January 2009.

Material and methods

We carried out an observational retrospective study of conization procedures undertaken from January 2007 to December 2010. Eighty-six patients were included: 40 women who underwent conization from 2007-2008 and 46 who underwent the procedure from 2009-2010.

Results

The number of conization procedures showed no significant change but the number of high-grade lesions found in cytology (P=.017) and postsurgical histological analysis (P=.047) increased. The positive predictive value (PPV) of screening for high-grade lesions showed a nonsignificant increase (P=.059).

Conclusions

The PPV of cervical cancer screening increased in our province with the HPV test, without increasing the number of conization procedures.     

Evaluación de un nuevo protocolo de cribado de cáncer cervical con citología convencional y test del virus del papiloma humano

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of cervical cancer screening using cytology plus the high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA test in 2011 versus cytology alone in 2010.

Method

Screening was performed in primary care. The target population in the Barbastro sector consisted of 26,936 women (aged 25 to 65 years). The HPV test was performed with hybrid capture (HC2) and the PCR cobas^® system in women between the ages of 30 and 65 years. Women with negative Pap and HPV test results underwent a 5-year recheck as per the latest protocol of Spanish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SEGO, 2010).

Results

A total of 4,770 Pap tests were received in 2010 and 5,241 in 2011 with coverage between 36.8 and 46.8%; 784 HPV tests were carried out in 2010 and 3,560 in 2011, with positive results in 10.58% the first year and in 7.5% the second year. Eighteen new cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2/3 were diagnosed in 2010 and 35 in 2011, along with 3 invasive carcinomas each year (in 2011, 3 microinvasive carcinomas).

Conclusions

The implementation of HPV testing in primary screening for cervical cancer increased the number of pre-invasive lesions detected by 98% in the year of its introduction. Primary Care involvement allows screening for cervical cancer to be performed without additional costs.     

Campaña de lucha contra el cáncer de cuello uterino en Guinea-Bissau. Estudio de las citologías de un trimestre

Objective

To study 300 cytologies from a single trimester, within a campaign against uterine cervical cancer in Guinea-Bissau.

Design

We compared 300 cytologies from Guinea-Bissau with 880 cytologies performed in a single month in autochthonous women attending our hospital for vaginal infections and cervical lesions.

Results

Significant differences between women in Guinea-Bissau and autochthonous women were found in Trichomonal infection (2% versus 0,34%, respectively; P < .001) and in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (2% versus 0,68%, respectively; P = .05). One case of cervical cancer was detected in a 75-year-old multiparous woman. The mean number of deceased children in these women was 2 (range 1-8).

Conclusions

To avoid both cervical cancer and neonatal mortality, a permanent program for the early detection of cervical cancer in Guinea-Bissau is clearly needed, together with family planning, prenatal care and obstetric assistance.     

Prevalence of abnormal Pap smears in a consecutive and previously unscreened population in Romania

Objective

To determine the prevalence of abnormal cervical smears in a previously unscreened and asymptomatic population in Romania and to compare the data with those from other countries in Europe.

Methods

In a retrospective study, data were reviewed from smears obtained from women in Romania who had been referred to the gynecologist between January 2006 and December 2011. The smears were collected through 3 regional opportunistic programs of cervical screening and were classified according to the Bethesda system.

Results

During the study period, 50 536 smear tests were carried out. Of these, 100 smears (0.2%) were unsatisfactory and excluded from the study. Among the remaining 50 436 smears, 2965 patients (5.9%) had abnormal epithelial changes. Most of the abnormal smears were represented by atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (2.6% of all smears). The data confirmed that there is a high prevalence of high-grade intraepithelial squamous-type lesions (0.9% of all smears) in Romania, and of abnormal smears in women younger than 25 years of age (14.0% of all abnormal smears).

Conclusion

The data show that there is a high prevalence of epithelial abnormalities among cervical smears in Romania compared with other European countries that run a national screening program.     

Differences in screening history,tumour characteristics and survival between women with screen-detected versus not screen-detected cervical cancer in the east of The Netherlands, 1992–2001

Objective

In The Netherlands, despite a national screening programme since 1996, invasive cervical cancers have been detected in screened and non-screened women. The aim of this study was to determine differences between Pap-smear history, tumour characteristics and survival of patients with a tumour detected by the screening programme (SP) or outside the screening programme (OSP) in the region of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Stedendriehoek Twente in the period 1992–2001.

Study design

In this period, 263 cervical cancer cases in women aged 30–60 were selected from the regional cancer registry. Patient and tumour characteristics, treatment and follow-up data were extracted. Also, detection modality of the tumour and Pap score of the smear which led to the diagnosis (‘diagnostic smear’) and the ‘previous smear’ were registered.

Results

Thirty-five percent were SP tumours and 65% were OSP tumours. SP tumours had a lower stage (FIGO I) than OSP tumours: 84% versus 57%. The OSP group exhibited a twofold increase in risk of death (p < 0.05) compared to the SP group. Subsequently 61 women (23%) and 46 (17%) women had an abnormal Pap smear (Pap II or higher) 5 and 3 years before the ‘diagnostic smear’, respectively. Furthermore, 37 women (14%) and 23 women (9%) had a normal smear 5 and 3 years before diagnosis, respectively.

Conclusion

SP tumours have a lower stage and a better prognosis, probably due to the fact that the screening programme detects the slow growing tumours which in general have a better prognosis. Furthermore, detection and treatment of patients with suspicious smears have been suboptimal and attention should therefore be paid to prompt follow-up of suspicious smears.     

Cribado con resonancia magnética de la mama contralateral en pacientes con cáncer de mama

Case report

We report the case of a woman with an invasive carcinoma of the right breast, in whom magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified a ductal carcinoma in situ in the contralateral breast. This tumor had not been detected by other diagnostic tests.

Discussion

The authors review recent series that discuss the issue of MRI screening of the contralateral breast. The clinical impact of MRI screening is assessed.

Conclusions

MRI of the contralateral breast in breast cancer patients detects a small, but significant, number of breast cancers that would have been missed if MRI had not been performed. The effect of these findings on prognosis remains uncertain.     

Hospitalizaciones por cáncer de cuello de útero en la Comunidad de Madrid, 1999-2002

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and characteristics of cervical cancer hospitalizations in the Autonomous Region of Madrid, and to estimate the resource consumption and costs related to hospital treatment of the disease.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted by using information of the cervical cancer patients hospitalized in the Autonomous Region of Madrid from the national surveillance system for hospital data, Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos. Data on resource consumption for costs analysis was collected from clinical records of women admitted to Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre of Madrid with cervical cancer.

Results

During the study period (1999-2002) an annual average of 667 hospitalizations with cervical cancer in the Autonomous Region of Madrid hospitals were reported. Hospitalization rate were 30.7 per 100,000 women ≥ 20 years of age and the average number of hospitalizations per patient was 2.2. A total of 126 deaths among hospitalized women were reported during the study period (average annual number of 32 deaths). The mean cost per patient of the hospital treatment was estimated in 5.247 €.

Conclusion

Each year more approximately 700 cervical cancer cases are notified in the Autonomous Region of Madrid hospitals. These represent an annual expenditure for the health care system of about 3,5 millions €.     

Self-collection for high-risk HPV detection in Brazilian women using the careHPV™ test

Objective

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Brazilian women. High-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) persistence is the primary cause of cervical neoplasia. Early detection of hr-HPV is important for identifying women at risk for developing cervical lesions. Approximately 85% of new cases of cervical cancer worldwide and 50% of the total cervical cancer deaths occurred in developing countries. Here, a new methodology to support a cervical cancer screening program was evaluated in women from various Brazilian regions.

Methods

Two thousand women aged 18–77 years were enrolled in an opportunistic cervical cancer screening program and were randomized into self-vaginal or health professional-guided cervical sampling groups. The Qiagen careHPV™ test was performed on all samples. Pap tests were performed on all women using liquid-based cytology.

Results

Positive hr-HPV results were obtained in 12.3% (245/2000) of women; similar rates were observed in self- or health professional-collected samples. Eighty-nine percent (1719/2000) of cervical cytologies classified as normal were negative to hr-HPV. Among the cytological samples, 36.6% classified as ASC-US + were positive to hr-HPV, 78.8% were LSIL and 75.0% were HSIL.

Conclusions

Self-sampled and health professional-sampled vaginal/cervical specimens did not differ in their rates of detection of hr-HPV. Therefore, HPV DNA testing in self-sampled vaginal cells is an alternative to primary screening in low-resource settings.     

Cribado combinado para la detección de trisomía 21 en el primer trimestre de la gestación. Impacto sobre la tasa de procedimientos invasivos de diagnóstico prenatal tras 5 años de implementación

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of first-trimester combined screening in the prenatal detection of Down syndrome after 5 years of use in our hospital and its impact in reducing invasive diagnostic tests.

Material and methods

The risk of fetal chromosomal anomalies was assessed in 10,669 pregnancies with first-trimester combined screening between May 2006 and December 2010. The cut-off to indicate an invasive diagnostic test was 1/270. The amniocenteses performed between 2005 and 2010 were also analyzed.

Results

The detection rate of screening for trisomy 21 was 90% and the false-positive rate was 3.56%. In pregnant women aged 35 years or more, the detection rate was 96.7%. In 2005 there were 496 amniocenteses. In 2010, 5 years after the introduction of screening, 148 amniocenteses were performed, representing a 70% reduction in invasive procedures.

Conclusions

The introduction of combined screening in our environment has proven effective for the detection of trisomy 21 and has substantially reduced the use of invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures. The use of advanced maternal age as an isolated criterion to indicate invasive techniques to study fetal karyotype should be questioned if high-quality universal screening is to be offered.     

Encuesta sobre el uso en España de la prueba para la determinación del virus del papiloma humano

Objective

To determine knowledge of the Spanish guidelines for cervical cancer screening, and to evaluate the use of tests for the detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) by Spanish gynecologists.

Subjects and methods

The survey focused on gynecologists who were members of the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics and the Spanish Association of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy. One hundred forty-one specialists completed the questionnaire.

Results

Thirty percent of the target population participated. A total of 95.6% were aware of the recommendations and 93.5% routinely used the test for the detection of the HPV (77.7% for cervical cancer screening). The criteria for the use of the test varied considerably among participants. The main reason for not using the technique was its unavailability.

Conclusions

Training and information on the available recommendations for the new screening strategies and, particularly, on the clinical use of HPV determination should be reinforced.     

Screening frequency and histologic type influence the efficacy of cervical cancer screening: A nationwide cohort study

Objective

To evaluate the influence of age, screening interval, and histologic type on the effect of Pap smears in cervical cancer screening.

Screening history in women with cervical cancer in a Danish population-based screening program

Objective.

The aim of this study was to explore the screening histories of all cervical cancers in a Danish screening population. The intention was to decide suboptimal sides of the screening program and to evaluate the significance of routine screening in the development of cervical cancer.

Methods.

The study describes the results of a quality control audit, performed on all new cervical cancer cases diagnosed in the years 2008-2009 at two major Danish screening-centers. All relevant cytological and histological cervical samples were reviewed.

Results.

202.534 cytological samples were evaluated in the study period, while 112 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer. The histological diagnoses comprised: 62 (55.4%) squamous cell carcinomas, 20 (17.9%) microinvasive squamous cell carcinomas, 25 (22.3%) adenocarcinomas and 5 cancers of different histology. The mean age of study subjects was 46.6 years. 51 (45.5%) women had deficient screening histories, while 45 (40.2%) women had followed the screening recommendations and had normal cervical samples in review. 11 (9.8%) women were diagnosed with false negative cytology, 2 women had false negative histological tests, while pathological review was not feasible for 3 subjects.

Conclusions.

More than 45% of the cervical cancer cases in our study were due to deficient cervical screening, stressing the importance of increasing the screening-uptake and coverage. 40% interval cancers emphasize the relevance of further cervical testing of women with relevant symptoms, despite of prior normal cervical samples. Finally, 9.8% false negative cytological samples are consistent with previous reports, but still a part of the screening program that should be improved.     

Screening history of women in Malmö with invasive cervical cancer

Objectives

Cervical cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among women. Cytological screening and follow-up are potentially effective procedures for preventing the development of – and mortality from – cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the screening history of women diagnosed with cervical cancer with the aim of improving the screening programme.

Study design

All of the 187 women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in Malmö between 1991 and 2000 were identified, and those below 61 years of age (n = 130) were included in the analysis. The cytological and histological screening history of these women prior to their diagnosis was scrutinized. We analyzed shortcomings related to the cervical screening with special attention to participation defined as having had a cervical smear within 1 year of the scheduled time.

Results

Of the non-participants who developed cervical cancer (n = 70), roughly one-third “never participated,” half were “sub-optimal participants,” and one-sixth were “decliners,” i.e., women who declined the recommended measures. Among participants (n = 60), 80% were either “unexplained” (n = 35) or “misread as normal” (n = 13). The 9.5% subgroup of non-participants was at an 11-fold increased risk of being diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer.

Conclusion

The greatest reduction in cervical cancer would be realized if non-participants could be brought into the screening program.     

Resultados obstétricos en cribado combinado de las aneuploidías en el primer trimestre superior al corte con resultado de amniocentesis con cariotipo fetal normal

Introduction

To evaluate whether there are adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with a risk index above the cut-off point in first-trimester screening for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and an amniocentesis result of normal fetal karyotype in a sample of pregnant women attending our clinic at the beginning of pregnancy.

Subjects and methods

We performed a case-control study. A series of patients who underwent first-trimester combined screening as part of antenatal care between January 2009 and January 2010 were selected.

Results

Of the maternal complications registered during the pregnancy, gestational diabetes was more frequent among cases.

Conclusions

The incidence of the remaining complications analyzed (intrauterine restricted growth, preeclampsia, oligoamnios) was similar in the two groups. In most of the pregnant women, delivery occurred after 37 weeks through the vaginal route.