Características citológicas previas al diagnóstico de cáncer de cérvix en mujeres de Medellín (Colombia) / Cytological characteristics prior to the diagnosis of cervical cancer in women from Medellin (Colombia)

Resumen Introducción: Actualmente, el cáncer de cérvix sigue siendo una enfermedad importante por su incidencia y mortalidad. Aunque se conoce su etiología generada por la infección del virus del Papiloma Humano (PVH) y sus métodos de tamizaje como la citología convencional y el test de ADN-PVH, aún es necesario reconocer diversas características que se relacionan con la aparición de este tipo de cáncer. Objetivo: Describir las características citológicas previas al diagnóstico de cáncer cervical en mujeres de una institución de salud de la ciudad de Medellín. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo. Se tomaron los registros clínicos correspondientes a mujeres con diagnóstico confirmado de cáncer de cérvix entre 2012 y 2017 y se revisaron los resultados de citología previos al diagnóstico. Se realizó análisis univariado para describir las variables de estudio. Resultados: La muestra de mujeres con cáncer fue de 714, la mediana de edad fue 51 años (rango intercuartílico: 42-60), la alteración citológica más frecuente fue lesión intraepitelial de alto grado (33,8%), el principal cáncer diagnosticado fue carcinoma escamocelular (70,6%). Conclusiones: Los resultados de citología alteradas son un indicador para riesgo de cáncer de cérvix, de ahí la importancia de continuar con el protocolo de tamizaje establecido.

Abstract Introduction: Currently, cervical cancer continues to be an important disease because of its high incidence and mortality. Even though its etiology (Human Papilloma Virus infection) and screening methods (conventional cytology and HPV-DNA test) are well known, understanding the various characteristics associated with the appearance of cervical cancer is fundamental. Objective: To describe the cytological characteristics that precede the diagnosis of cervical cancer in women diagnosed in a health care institution from the city of Medellín. Materials and methods: A descriptive study. The clinical records corresponding to women with a confirmed diagnosis of cervical cancer between 2012 and 2017 were used. Also, the citology results obtained before the diagnosis were reviewed. An univariate analysis was carried out in oder to describe the study variables. Results: The sample size of women with cervical cancer was 714, the age median was 51 years old (interquartile range: 42-60), the most frequent cytological alteration was high-grade intraepithelial lesion (33.8%), and the main diagnosed cancer type was squamous cell carcinoma (70.6%). Conclusions: Results showing an altered cytology are indicators of cervical cancer risk. Therefore, it is important to continue with the stablished screening protocol.

PET/CT versus bone marrow biopsy in the initial evaluation of bone marrow infiltration in various pediatric malignancies.

Accurate staging is essential in the prognosis and management of pediatric malignancies. Current protocols require screening for marrow infiltration with bone marrow biopsy (BMB) as the gold standard. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is commonly used to complete the staging process and can also be used to evaluate marrow infiltration. OBJECTIVE: To compare PET-CT and BMB in the initial evaluation of bone marrow infiltration in pediatric cancers. DESIGN/METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed new cases of EWS, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and lymphoma diagnosed between January 2009 and October 2014. Each case had undergone both PET-CT and BMB within 4 weeks without treatment in the interval between screening modalities. RESULTS: We reviewed 69 cases. Bone marrow infiltration was demonstrated in 34 cases by PET-CT and in 18 cases by BMB. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of PET-CT were both 100%. Interestingly, the cases in which infiltration was not detected on BMB had an abnormal marrow signal on PET-CT focal or distant to iliac crest. CONCLUSION: PET-CT has a high sensitivity when assessing marrow infiltration in pediatric malignancies. Advances in radiologic modalities may obviate the use of invasive, painful, and costly procedures like BMB. Furthermore, biopsy results are limited by insufficient tissue or the degree of marrow infiltration (diffuse vs. focal disease). PET-CT can improve the precision of biopsy when used as a guiding tool. This study proposes the use of PET-CT as first-line screening for bone marrow infiltration to improve the accuracy of staging in new diagnoses.