Detection of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) in postmenopausal endometrium
Hugo Maia1, Amélia Maltez, Célia Athayde
1Endoscopy Unit, CEPARH, Rua Caetano Moura, 35 Salvador, 40210-341 Bahia, Brazil. ceparh@uol.com.br
Objectives:
To detect the presence of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) in the endometrium of postmenopausal patients.
Patients And Methods:
Sixty-three postmenopausal patients with endometrial polyps (n=48), hyperplasia (n=12) and endometrioid carcinoma (n=3) were enrolled for this study. The diagnosis of EIN was made by using morphological criteria and immunohistochemical methods for detection of PTEN and bcl-2.
Results:
EIN lesions were found in cases of endometrial polyp (n=1), atrophic endometrium (n=1) and in hyperplasia (n=1). The glands were packed, showed cytological atypia and were negative for both PTEN and bcl-2. Three patients with endometrial hyperplasia had isolated PTEN-negative glands but they were still bcl-2 positive.
Conclusions:
The use of immunohistochemical methods helps detect the presence of EIN in the postmenopausal endometrium but does not substitute the morphological criteria for this diagnosis.
