OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the incidence of cancer and to compare pathologic outcomes in bleeding and non-bleeding postmenopausal patients who underwent hysteroscopy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 294 postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and 142 postmenopausal women without symptoms who underwent hysteroscopy. An 11 mm cut-off for asymptomatic women was applied to determine whether this endometrial thickness threshold would differentiate women with and without endometrial cancer in the asymptomatic group. RESULTS: In symptomatic patients, 14 were found to have endometrial cancer and 10 were found to have endometrial hyperplasia. In the asymptomatic group, two women (1.4%) were found to have endometrial cancer with average thickness 17.5 mm, and one (0.71%) was found to have endometrial hyperplasia. Logistic regression models showed the risk of a bleeding patient developing endometrial cancer at an endometrial thickness of 4 mm was the same as the risk in a non-bleeding patient at a thickness of 15 mm. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic postmenopausal women have a low risk of having significant endometrial pathology. Cancer was approximately four times more prevalent in women with bleeding than in women with no bleeding.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the incidence of cancer and to compare pathologic outcomes in bleeding and non-bleeding postmenopausal patients who underwent hysteroscopy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 294 postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and 142 postmenopausal women without symptoms who underwent hysteroscopy. An 11 mm cut-off for asymptomatic women was applied to determine whether this endometrial thickness threshold would differentiate women with and without endometrial cancer in the asymptomatic group. RESULTS: In symptomatic patients, 14 were found to have endometrial cancer and 10 were found to have endometrial hyperplasia. In the asymptomatic group, two women (1.4%) were found to have endometrial cancer with average thickness 17.5 mm, and one (0.71%) was found to have endometrial hyperplasia. Logistic regression models showed the risk of a bleedingpatient developing endometrial cancer at an endometrial thickness of 4 mm was the same as the risk in a non-bleedingpatient at a thickness of 15 mm. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic postmenopausal women have a low risk of having significant endometrial pathology. Cancer was approximately four times more prevalent in women with bleeding than in women with no bleeding.
Authors: Megan A Clarke; Beverly J Long; Arena Del Mar Morillo; Marc Arbyn; Jamie N Bakkum-Gamez; Nicolas Wentzensen Journal: JAMA Intern Med Date: 2018-09-01 Impact factor: 21.873