The role of endocervical curettage at cervical conization for high-grade dysplasia

To quantify the risk of invasive cancer above the location where the conization specimen was taken in patients with an endocervical curettage (ECC) positive for dysplasia at conization for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and to determine if any pathologic features may influence this risk.

The charts of 104 patients who underwent cervical conization for high-grade dysplasia followed by repeat conization or hysterectomy at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Women's Hospital between January 1986 and December 1992 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with invasive cancer or glandular dysplasia on the initial conization were excluded. The ECC performed immediately after conization biopsy (conization ECC) was benign in 63 patients and contained dysplasia in 41. All available conization ECC specimens that contained dysplasia were evaluated for volume of dysplasia and degree of cytologic atypia. Fisher exact test was used for statistical comparison between and within groups.

Invasive cancer was not present in any patients in the benign ECC group but was present in nine (22%) patients in the dysplasia group (P < .0001); five of these patients had microinvasion (no more than 3 mm of stromal invasion and no lymph-vascular space involvement) and four had frank invasion. Comparison of patients with involved endocervical margins revealed that none of 37 patients in the benign ECC group versus eight of 27 patients in the dysplasia group had invasive cancer (P < .0005). All patients with invasion were 35 years or older and all patients with frank invasion were 50 years or older. Neither volume nor cytologic grade of dysplasia in the ECC was predictive of invasion in the residual cervix.

An ECC at conization positive for dysplasia is an important predictor of invasion in the residual cervix of patients whose conization reveals high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and should be routinely performed. Women 50 years or older with both a positive endocervical margin and conization ECC should undergo repeat conization before further therapy. Women under 50 years of age should undergo repeat conization if fertility is not desired; otherwise, close follow-up is necessary to exclude the presence of an invasive lesion in the residual cervix.