Female Reproductive System Pathology Flashcards
Define adenomyosis
The abnormal presence of endometrial tissue in the uterine wall (myometrium).
What features of adenomyosis do you see under the microscope?
Irregular shaped endometrial glands and stroma within myometrium
Glands may be enlarged, or irregularly shaped (not ovale)
Glands tend to be interconnected.
Surrounding myometrium (smooth muscle histology) is often undergoing hyperplasia and hypertrophy.
What are the clinical symptoms of adneomyosis?
Painful periods (dysmenorrhoea)
Heavy periods (menorrhagia)
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
May also present with infertility or pregnancy-related complications.
Examination - enlarged and tender uterus - softer than a fibrotic uterus
What features of endometriosis are seen on a microscope slide?
The presence of endometrial glands and stroma
With or without hemosiderin laden macrophages.
Glands may be enlarged and irregular shaped.
Haemosiderin laden macrophages are frequently seen in endometriosis - what could be the reason for this?**
Increased iron metabolism
Endometrial tissue responds to hormone changes - will undergo menses - rbcs taken up by macrophages.
Define endometriosis
Presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus
What does the normal uterus/endomterial lining look like in histology?
Outermost - perimetrium - connective tissue
Myometrium - smooth muscle fibres
Endometrium - simple columnar epithelium, simple tubular glands, highly cellular and vascularised stroma.
What are some common sites for endometriosis to occur?
Ovary
Broad ligament
Uteroscaral limagenet
Peritoneal surface of the rectum
Cul-de-sac (pouch of douglas)
The peritoneal surface of the sigmoid colon
The peritoneal surface of the bladder.
Laparotomy scats
Serosa of the large, small bowel and appendix
Mucosa of the cervix, vagina and fallopian tubes
How common is endometriosis?
Affects around 10% of women in reproductive age groups
Commonly diagnosed at 30-40yrs.
What are the clinical features of endometriosis?
Dysmenorrhea (painful mesntraution)
Dyspareunia (pain with intercourse)
Pelvic pain - intrapelvic bleeding and periuterine adhesions
Menstrual irregularities
Infertility - 30 to 40% of women.
These symptoms are often associated/worse with menstraution due to the oestrogen-dependent nature of the tissue.
What are the different theories underpinning the pathogenesis of endometriosis?
- Regurgitation theory - retrograde menstraution
- Benign metastasis theory - spead through blood vessels and lymphatic channels
- Metaplastic theory - coelomic epithelium (mesothelium) undergoes metaplatic changes triggered by local stimuli.
- Extrauterine stem/progenitor cell theory - progenitor from bone marrow differentiate into endometrial tissue.
What are some key points of the pathophysiology of endometriosis?
Ectopic endometerial tissues causes a local inflam response - macro, pro-inflam, GF, prost -> promotes growth, angiogenesis, fibrosis and adhesions
Lesions may produce own oestrogen and retinoic acid from stromal cells and become progesterone resistance - promote growth
Display increased adhesion and invasiveness (inc MMPs) to grow with surrounding tissue.
Angiogenesis = high vascularised
Mutations in TSG and oncogenes
Pain - may be due to inflam, nerve infiltration or sensitizing peripheral receptors.
What are some complications/risks of endometriosis?
- Periodic/cyclical bleeding - extrinsic cyclic (ovarian) and intrsinsic hormonal stimulation - (has red/blue or yellow/brown appearance)
- Organising hemorrhage -> extensive fibrous adhesions -> obliterate pouch of dougals/ovaries
- Ovaries - large and cystic - brown fluid from previous hemorrhage
- RIsk of malignancy - endometrioid and clear cell carcinoma
What complication of endometriosis is shown in this image?
Chocolate cyst or endometriomas
Brown fluid from previous bleeding from ectopic endometrial tissue.
What is the purpose of cervical cancer screening?
Screening of non-symptomatic population to identify pre-cancerous changes to allow early treatment or interventions to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.
Who is the NHS cervical cancer screening programme offered to?
Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64yrs in England
Between 25-49 offered every 3 years
Between 50-64 - offered every 5 yrs.
What is the strongest risk factor for cervical cancer?
Human Papilloma Virus
What is the role of HPV in cervical cancer?
HVP is a DNA oncogenic virus - express HPV E7 and HPV E6 proteins
Hig risk subtypes - HPV16 60% of cases and HPV 18 for 10% of cases
Can also cause cancer of the vagina, vulba, penis, anus, tonsil and other oropharyngeal locations
What are low risk HPV strains?
Sexually transmitted
Can cause ano-genital warts (Condyloma acuminatum)
What is the role of HPV E6 and HPV E7 in cancer?
Are proteins expressed by HPV 16 and HPV18 high risk strains for cancer.
E6 - activates TERT causing increased telomerase expression, and inhibits p53
HPV E7 - inhibits p21 leads to increased CDK4/Cyclin D, leads to inhibition of RB
Leads to immortalisation, increased cell proliferation and genomic instability
Increased risk of cancer.
What are the different stages in the cervical cancer screening programme?
Cervical Smear Taking
HR HPV testing (PCR)
Cervical cytology
Colposcopy with biopsy +/- cervical loop
What is meant by cervical cytology?
Examine cells brushed from the cervix under the microscope to detect pre-cancerous changes in both squamous and glandular cells.
‘Pap smear or Papanicolaou’
What do normal cervical cells look like under the microscope?
Endocervix - lining links to uterus - is simple columnar epithelium with mucus-secreting cells - thick lamina propria with lots of cervical glands.
Ectocervix - lings to vagina - stratified squamous epithelium
What is the transformation zone?
Why is this linked to cervical cancer?
Contains the squamocolumnar junction between the endo and ecto cervix
This junction can move at different times of a woman life to due with oestrogen: puberty, pregnancy, oral contraceptive pill.
This exposes new simple columnar epithelium to the acidic vaginal pH, undergoes metaplastic changes, this new immature sqaoumous epithelium is more vulnerable to HR-HPV infection, these changes put at high risk of later cancerous changes.
Comment on the results of this pap smear
This is a normal cervical smear - no pre/cancerous changes
The nucleus are small and surrounded by an abundant cytoplasm
Comment on the results of this pap smear
Abnormal pap smear
Cells show dyskaryosis (between normal and malignant)
Note cells are smaller than normal, with a larger nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio.
Would require further escalation
Comment on the results of this pap smear
Abnormal
It shows that carcinoma cells are smaller, have a larger nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio, and have abnormal chromatic distribution.
How is cervical smear taken?
Conventional smears take cells from the whole transformation zone with a 360-degree sweep using an Ayres or Aylesbury spatula and smeared onto a glass slide.
New liquid based methods use a plastic spatula/endocervical brush/broom like device - sweep cervical os and ectocervix 5 times - this is the recommended method.