Vulvar leiomyosarcoma in pregnancy.

To our knowledge, this is the first case of vulvar leiomyosarcoma occurring during pregnancy to be reported. The neoplasm was resected immediately after a term vaginal delivery. A wide local excision of the vulva with bilateral superficial inguinal node sampling was performed 6 weeks post partum. Four previous cases of vulvar sarcoma occurring in pregnancy are reviewed. The need to perform biopsy of vulvar lesions during pregnancy is emphasized.

Epidemiology of adenocarcinoma of the cervix.

Three hundred thirty-three patients who presented with cervical carcinoma from November 1980 through June 1985 were compared for potential factors associated with histology. Sixteen percent of all patients presenting with cervical carcinoma during this 5-year period had an adenocarcinomatous histology. Emphasis was placed on demographic and socioeconomic factors. The histologic distribution was the following: epidermoid carcinoma 279, adenocarcinoma 28, and adenoepidermoid carcinoma 26. The latter two histologies were not different for any factors and therefore combined for statistical comparison with epidermoid carcinoma. When epidermoid (E) carcinoma of the cervix was compared with the histologies having an adenocarcinomatous component (A), the following demographic and socioeconomic factors were statistically, different (P less than 0.05): Unemployment (E 69% vs. A 46%) P less than 0.002; Income less than $6000/yr (E 48% vs. A 26%) P less than 0.005; Less than a 12th-grade education (E 85% vs. A 72%) P less than 0.05; Smokers (E 67% vs. A 40%) P less than 0.001; First coital experience less than 18 years (E 58% vs. A 39%) P less than 0.05. Age, parity, and number of sexual partners were not significantly different between the epidermoid and adenocarcinoma groups. The number of patients with stages II, III, and IV was too small to provide a meaningful statistical comparison of survival for the two histologies. Our data suggest that epidermoid and adenocarcinoma of the cervix may represent diseases with distinct populations at risk.

Bleomycin-induced pulmonary nodules: a variant of bleomycin pulmonary toxicity.

Bleomycin has been associated with pulmonary toxicity which is typically manifested as an interstitial pneumonitis resulting in fine, diffuse reticular or reticulomicronodular infiltrates. Attention is drawn to an additional radiologic appearance where discrete pulmonary nodules are seen and representative of bleomycin-induced change. The pitfalls of interpreting such changes as toxic effects versus metastatic disease and proposed mechanisms of bleomycin pulmonary toxicity are discussed.

Oral contraceptives and neoplasia: 1987 update.

PIP: This article reviews the research evidence on the relationship between oral contraceptives (OCs) and neoplasia. More recent epidemiologic studies in this area are considered to have greater validity than earlier studies, largely because of improved assessment of confounding factors. Encouraging has been the finding of a protective effect of OCs on endometrial and ovarian neoplasia: about 2000 cases of endometrial cancer and 1700 cases of ovarian cancer are averted in the US each year as a result of OC use. No consistent association, either adverse or beneficial, has emerged between OCs and breast cancer; however, high-dose combined OCs exert a protective effect on the development of benign breast disease after 2 years of use. Longterm combined OC use appears to be related to the development of benign liver lesions, but the research evidence on the association between OCs and hepatocellular carcinoma remains inconclusive. Of concern is the finding that longterm OC use is associated with an increased risk of cervical neoplasia. The mechanisms by which OCs might exert adverse effects on cervical epithelium are unclear.^ieng

The validity of Pap smear parameters as predictors of endometrial pathology in menopausal women.

Cytopathologists recognize that certain Pap smear findings are suspicious for endometrial pathology in menopausal women. To study their prognostic importance in the directed cervical smear, six parameters were used to evaluate smears for evidence of an endometrial lesion: the presence of (1) histiocytes, (2) multinucleated histiocytes, (3) nonspecific inflammation, (4) bleeding, (5) elevated squamous cell maturation index, and (6) the degree of cytologic atypicality of endometrial glandular cells, expressed as a "score" from 0 to 6. Clinical pathologic correlation of 102 women with these parameters was undertaken. A multivariable statistical analysis determined which of these six parameters was most predictive of an endometrial lesion. Cytologically "scored" endometrial glandular cells was the only parameter predictive of endometrial pathology. Its emergence as the sole prognostic cervical Pap smear parameter for endometrial pathology has not been previously reported. This predictive value was consistent even with control for bleeding history and age. Appropriate interpretation of abnormal Pap smear findings contributes substantial diagnostic information in the evaluation of the endometrium.

The issue of microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva: an evaluation of the criteria of diagnosis and methods of therapy.

Current literature on definition, metastatic potential, and treatment of microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva is reviewed. There is marked disparity among the various reports about the features of this lesion that are most crucial in predicting the propensity to recur or metastasize. Nonuniformity of the techniques for measuring stromal invasion is noted among many of them as well. The issue of conservative versus more aggressive surgical treatment of microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva is discussed within the context of the reviewed data. One should exercise prudence in determining which affected patients are appropriate candidates for conservative surgical therapy.