Accuracy of office and operating room curettage in the grading of endometrial carcinoma.

This retrospective study reviewed the records of 375 patients with clinical stage I adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. After criteria for exclusion were applied, 223 patients were analyzed further. Results from office and operating room curettage were compared with findings at hysterectomy. Twenty percent of cases showed an increase in grade at hysterectomy after office curettage; 15% showed upgrading after operating room curettage, a nonsignificant difference. We conclude that the techniques have equivalent accuracy in the determination of tumor grade. However, despite their well-documented reliability in tumor detection, a 15-20% upgrade suggests that frozen section confirmation of grade and depth of invasion in the hysterectomy specimen may be necessary if further surgical staging is not already planned.