• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7231-7235
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• 2015

This study was conducted to determine whether advancing age is an independent predictor of increased risk of high-grade pathologies among women referred for colposcopy after abnormal cervical cytology. Medical records were reviewed for women with abnormal cervical cytology who underwent colposcopy at Khon Kaen University Hospital. Logistic regression was used to determine the independent impact of age on the risk of high-grade pathologies. Mean age of the women was 42.8 years. Of 482 women, 97 (20.1%) were postmenopausal, and 92 (19.1%) were nulliparous. The rate of high-grade pathologies included cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2-3, 99 (20.5%), adenocarcinoma in situ, 4 (0.8%), cervical cancer, 30 (6.2%), and endometrial cancer, 1 (0.2%). The prevalence of significant lesions was 26.9% (95% CI, 23.1%-31.2%). In total, 31 women had cancers (6.4%; 95% CI, 4.4%-9.0%). When controlling for smear types and parity, age was noted to be a significant independent predictor of high-grade histopathology. Women older than 35-40 years were approximately 2 times as likely to have severe histopathology as the younger women. This study illustrates the substantial risk of underlying significant lesions especially invasive cancer in Thai women with abnormal cervical cytology. Age was a significant independent factor predicting the risk of high-grade pathologies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5643-5645
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• 2015

Background: The aim was to see compliance to minimum data set information in carcinoma cervix histopathology reports from a team of 13 pathologists; and also to analyse the distribution of parameters like tumor size, grade, depth of cervical stromal invasion, lymph node yield and pTNM stage. Materials and Methods: All pathology reports of radical hysterectomy for carcinoma cervix operated in house within a three year duration (2010-2012), (n=204) were retrieved from medical records and analyzed for the above parameters. Results: In 2010- 59 cases, in 2011- 67 cases and in 2012- 78 cases of carcinoma cervix underwent operations in our hospital. The median age was 50.5 years and the maximum T diameter was 2.8 cms in the reports of three years. Squamous carcinoma was the commonest subtype amongst all the tumors. It was noted that 60.8% of cases had cervical stromal involvement more than half the thickness of the cervical stroma. Parametrial involvement was seen in 4.82% of cases. pTNM Staging was not mentioned in 65.06% of the cases. The mean bilateral pelvic lymph node yield count in our study was 16.6 inclusive of all the three years. Conclusions: Compliance with provision of a minimum dataset in our team of 13 pathologists was generally good. Lymph node yield in our hands is reasonable, but constant striving for greater numbers should be made. pTNM staging should be more meticulously documented. Use of proformas /checklists is recommended.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4567-4570
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• 2012

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence and predictive value to detect significant neoplasia and invasive lesions, and to evaluate the correlation between clinical and histopathology of women with squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) on Siriraj liquid-based cervical cytology (Siriraj-LBC). Methods: The computerized database of women who underwent Siriraj-LBC at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University from January 2007 to December 2010 were retrieved. The hospital records of women with SCCA cytology were reviewed. Results: The prevalence of SCCA cytology was 0.07%. A total of 86 women, mean age was 58.1 years. Sixty-one women (70.9%) were post-menopausal. Overall significant pathology and invasive gynecologic cancer were detected in 84 women (97.7%) and 71 women (82.5%), respectively. The positive predictive values for detection of significant neoplasia and invasive lesion were 97.7% and 82.6%, respectively. The cervical cancer was diagnosed in 69 women and among these 58 women were SCCA. Thirteen women (15.1%) had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 and two women (2.3%) had cervicitis. The sensitivity and specificity of colposcopy for cervical cancer detection in SCCA cytology were 83.3% and 75%, respectively. Median follow up period was 17.6 months and 64 patients were alive without cytologic abnormality. Conclusions: The final histopathology of SCCA cytology in our populations demonstrated a wide variety, from cervicitis to invasive cancer and the most common diagnosis was invasive cervical cancer. Colposcopy with biopsy and/or endocervical curettage and loop electrosurgical excision procedure should be undertaken to achieve histologic diagnosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2535-2537
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• 2016

Background: Most of the cervical cancer patients, including those with cervical adenocarcinomas, come at advanced stage in the developing world so its mortality is high. Radiotherapy is one of the treatment modality for advanced stage cervical adenocarcinomas, but its efficacy depends on several prognostic factors such as the stage, histopathology, presence of organ dysfunction and expression of cellular biology markers mainly involve in cell proliferation such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Some research indicates that activation of EGFR in malignancy (including cervical cancer) correlates with aggressive behavior, a poor prognosis and decreasing sensitivity of radiotherapy. However, the combination between targeted therapies and radiotherapy are innovative approaches which may provide a good result. This study aimed to assess any correlation between expression of EGFR and response to radiotherapy in cervical adenocarcinoma cases. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 women were registered in a retrospective study period January 2007 and May 2014. Paraffin blocks from these patients were processed by classical histological techniques and for immunohistochemical staining of EGFR, scoring being accomplished according to the immunoreactive scoring (IRS) of Remmele and Stegner. Results: Among the studied molecular factors, there was significant correlation expression of EGFR with poor response to radiotherapy (p=0.0001). Conclusions: The result of this study showed a significant correlation between expression of EGFR and sensitivity of radiation in cervical adenocarcinoma cases. Further research is necessary to obtain information about new therapeutic management.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6697-6701
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• 2014

Background: In the etiology of cervical cancer not only HPV infection is important, but also other factors such as demographic influences andsexual and reproductive health attitudes, as well as others related to preventive measure usage (or non usage). The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with cervical dysplasia in asymptomatic women who were examined by routine cytology and cervical biopsy for early detection of cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Socio-demographic and other characteristics were obtained from medical files of 85 examinees with pathologic cytologic findings (Pap test) and histopathologic (HP) findings after biopsy. Results: ccording to the Pap test result, a greater probability for development of cervical dysplasia was noted with examinees having a larger number of sexual partners (OR= 5.01, 95% CI 1.04-24.10), and those who are afraid of the Pap finding. Risk factors for development of cervical dysplasia according to the bioptic finding were early beginning with sexual activities, presence of any STD in personal medical history and fear of the Pap test finding. Conclusions: The only risk factor found to be important for both methods was fear of the Pap testing finding.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3645-3651
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• 2012

Conventional pap smear (CPS) examination has been the mainstay for early detection of cervical cancer. However, its widespread use has not been possible due to the inherent limitations, like presence of obscuring blood and inflammation, reducing its sensitivity considerably. Automated methods in use in developed countries may not be affordable in the developing countries due to paucity of resources. On the other hand, manual liquid based cytology (MLBC) is a technique that is cost effective and improves detection of precursor lesions and specimen adequacy. Therefore the aim of the study was to compare the utility of MLBC with that of CPS in cervical cancer screening. A prospective study of 100 cases through MLBC and CPS was conducted from October 2009 to July 2010, in a Medical College in India, by two independent pathologists and correlated with histopathology (22 cases). Morphological features as seen through MLBC and CPS were compared. Subsequently, all the cases were grouped based on cytological diagnosis according to two methods into 10 groups and a subjective comparison was made. In order to compare the validity of MLBC with CPS in case of major diagnoses, sensitivity and specificity of the two methods were estimated considering histological examination as the gold standard. Increased detection rate with MLBC was 150%. The concordance rate by LBC/histopathology v/s CPS/histopathology was also improved (86% vs 77%) The percentage agreement by the two methods was 68%. MLBC was more sensitive in diagnosis of LSIL and more specific in the diagnosis of inflammation. Thus, MLBC was found to be better than CPS in diagnosis of precursor lesions. It provided better morphology with increased detection of abnormalities and preservation of specimen for cell block and ancillary studies like immunocytochemistry and HPV detection. Therefore, it can be used as alternative strategy for cervical cancer prevention in limited resource settings.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.135-138
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• 2016

This study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of underlying significant lesions among women referred for colposcopy after atypical glandular cell (AGC) smears and the associated risks. The present study reviewed data from women with AGC smears undergoing colposcopy at the Colposcopy Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand between January 2001 to December 2014. Significant lesions included cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2-3, adenocarcinoma in situ, endometrial hyperplasia, and cancer. During the study period, 170 women with AGC cytology were reviewed. The mean age was 45.7 years. Thirty-eight women (22.4%) were postmenopausal. Eighteen smears (10.6%) were further subclassified as AGC-favor neoplasia (AGC-FN). In total, significant lesions were noted in 27 women (15.9%; 95%CI, 7.8%-18.3%). Thirteen women (7.6%, 95%CI, 4.1%-12.7%) were found to have cervical cancer or endometrial cancer. Two variables were independently associated with an increased risk of significant histopathology results: level of educational attainment (secondary level or lower versus bachelor degree or higher) and types of AGC (AGC versus AGC-FN). Women who had low level of education and those with AGC-FN were at the higher risk of significant lesions (OR, 3.16; 95%CI 1.10-9.11 and OR, 4.62; 95%CI, 1.54-13.85, respectively). In conclusion, the rate of significant lesions among women referred for colposcopy after AGC smears is considerably high. Low education and smear subtypes appear independently associated with a higher risk of significant lesions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5811-5814
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• 2014

Background: To investigate abnormal cervical histopathology (ACH) from hysterectomy specimens with normal preoperative Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. Materials and Methods: Medical records from May 2009 to April 2012 were retrospectively reviewed of subjects from whom hysterectomy specimens were taken in Thammasat University Hospital. All had normal preoperative Pap smears. ACH was the primary outcome. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 483 subjects with an average age of 50.5 years were recruited. Benign cases of enlarged uterus and pelvic mass were present in 94% (430/483). Endometrial and ovarian cancer were found at 6.2 and 4.7%, respectively. In hysterectomy specimens there were 19 (4%) cases of ACH. Silent ACH with benign disease, endometrial and ovarian cancers were 1.2% (5/430), 33.3% (10/30) and 17.4% (4/23), respectively. The negative predictive value (NPV) and false negative rate of Pap smears were 96 and 4%, respectively. ACH in malignant cases were 27.9% (12/43) and 20% (2/10) in adequate (APS) and inadequate (IPS) Pap collection groups, respectively. ACH in benign condition were 0.68% (2/292) and 2.2% (3/138) in APS and IPS, respectively. ACH was more often found in hysterectomy specimens with indication of malignancy than benign conditions with statistical significance. One third of preoperative stage I endometrial cancer cases had cervical involvement. Conclusions: Silent ACH in normal preoperative Pap smear was 4 %. Inadequate Pap smear collection is still the major problem in this study. Reducing inadequate Pap smear collection could reduce the false negative rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.625-630
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• 2016

Background: Despite the established role of the Pap smear test (PST) in prevention and early detection of cervical cancer, it is still rarely practiced in Sudan. Many challenges hinder the establishment of an effective cervical cancer screening program, including socio-cultural factors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of Sudanese women with regard to the Pap smear test and cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 married women aged 14 to 58 years were recruited from obstetric clinics, hospitals and universities in Khartoum in 2014. Data were collected using a standardized, pretested questionnaire that inquired socio-demographic characteristics and their KAP about cervical cancer and the PST. Results: More than 52% of participating women were above 30 years of age, and the majority (78.8%) were university degree holders. A total of 486 (97.2 %) of participants were resident in urban areas of Khartoum State. However about 48% of the respondents had never heard about PST, and only 15.8% of the participants had undergone a Pap smear test previously; 46.6% (233/500) knew that the human papilloma virus (HPV) was the causative agent, but only 39.2% (196/500) had heard about HPV vaccination, and only 11.4% (57/500) had received the vaccine. However 68% of the respondents agreed to do Pap smear if properly informed about the test and 75.4% of the respondents agreed to participate in a cervical cancer screening program. Conclusions: Despite a high educational level, less than half of our participants had accurate knowledge about cervical cancer, HPV, and cervical cancer screening. Health education about cervical cancer, HPV and sexually transmitted infections and the role of PST in cervical cancer prevention are crucial when designing interventions aimed at improving cervical cancer screening for Sudanese women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.4061-4063
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• 2015

Background: To evaluate pathological features of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to compare these pathological features in patients younger and older than 40 years. Materials and Methods: All resection specimens of HNSCC between 2010 and 2013 evaluated. Tumor characteristics - grade, location (site) cervical node status, alongwith presence or absence of extranodal extension, lymphovascular invasion, gender and age - were extracted from surgical pathology reports. Results: Among these n=19 patients (21.8%) were 40 years or younger and n=68 patients (78.2%) were above 40 years of age. The mean age was 34 (20-40 years) in the younger group and 56 (42-86) in the older group. The most common location of HNSCC in both groups was the oral cavity. The analysis of histopathological features including grade of tumor, tumor size, extranodal extension and comparison between two groups do not show any significant difference. Conclusions: There are no specific pathological characteristics of HNSCC in young patients. An interesting observation is that exposure to expected risk factors is similar in both groups, in younger patients they have less time to act and yet tumors are the same in terms of tumor size, lymph node status and lymphovascular invasion. Therefore further research is recommended to look for potentiating factors.