HISTO: Gynaecological Pathology Flashcards
Which classification is used for neoplasia in the female genital tract?
FIGO - updated every 2 years by WHO
Name two types of congenital anomalies in gynae.
Duplication
Agenesis
What is inflammation of diffferent parts of the gynae tracts called?
Name 3 infections of the female genital tract that can cause discomfort but no serious complications.
Cause discomfort but no serious complications:
–Candida: Diabetes mellitus, oral contraceptives and pregnancy enhance development of infection
–Tichomonas vaginalis: protozoan
–Gardenerella: gram negative bacillus causes vaginitis
Name 3 infections of the female genital tracts that have serious complications,
–Chlamydia: major cause of infertility
–Gonorrhoea: major cause of infertility
–Mycoplasma: causes spontaneous abortion and chorioamnionitis
–HPV: implicated in cancer
What are the causes of PID?
Gonococci, chlamydia, enteric bacteria –usually starts from the lower genital tract and spreads upward via mucosal surface
Staph, strept, coliform bacteria and clostridium perfringens
- –secondary to abortion
- –usually start from the uterus and spread by lymphatics and blood vessels upwards
- –deep tissue layer involvement
What are the complications of PID?
- Peritonitis
- Bacteraemia
- Intestinal obstruction due to adhesions
- Infertility
What is the aetiology of salpingitis?
Ususally direct ascent from vagina
What are the complications of salpingitis, if it remains unresolved?
Depending on severity and treatment may result in:
–Resolution
–Complications:
- Plical fusion
- Adhesions to ovary
- Tubo-ovarian abscess
- Peritonitis
- Hydrosalpinx
- Infertility
- Ectopic pregnancy
Where do most ectopic pregnancies present?
Tubal 95%
Name 3 disorders of the cervix.
- Inflammation
- Polyps
- Dysplasia and carcinoma
What is shown?
Cervical polyp
How common is cervical cancer? What is the mean age?
- 2nd most common cancer affecting women worldwide
- Mean age 45-50yrs
What is the premalignant phase of cervical cancer?
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
What are the risk factors for cervical cancer?
- Human Papilloma Virus -present in 95%
- Many sexual partners
- Sexually active early
- Smoking
- Immunosuppressive disorders
Which are low risk HPVs? What do they cause?
Most common types: 6, 11
Other types: 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 61, 72, 73, 81
Cause:
- Genital and oral warts
- Low grade cervical abnormalities
What are the high risk HPVs? What do they cause?
Most common types: 16, 18
Other types: 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68,82
Cause:
- Low & high grade cervical abnormalities
- Cervical cancer
- Vulval, vaginal, penile, and anal cancer
What types of cells are present in the ecto and endocervix?
SJC = squamo columnar junction
Describe the progression of cervical epithelium to carcinoma.
What defines the progression from CIN to carcinoma?
Invasion of the basement membrane
Describe the differences between LSIL and HSIL and dyskaryosis.
Define CIN. What is the cause?
This is the term for dysplasia of cervical cells
- Epithelial cells have undergone some phenotypic and genetic changes which are premalignant and preinvasive
- Basal membrane immediately deep to the surface epithelium is intact
- Squamous epithelium is involved more often than glandular epithelium (CGIN)
What defines cervical carcinoma? What are the two types?
Invasion through the basement membrane defines change from CIN to invasive carcinoma
Two types of cervical cancer
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Adenocarcinoma (20% of all invasive cases)
- HPV dependent or independent
What types of cervical cancer are these?
Squamous cell carcinoma (left)
Adenocarcinoma (right)
What factors does prognosis of cervical cancer depend on?
- Tumour type
- Tumour grade
- Tumour stage: FIGO Stage I (90%) – IV (10%) 5 year survival
- Lymphovascular space invasion
What happens when someone is infected with HPV?
Transient infection - For most people, nothing will happen
- The body’s immune system eliminates HPV
- HPV becomes undetectable within 2 yrs in ~90%
- Relatively few will develop symptoms
HPV viral persistence - Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types is associated with pre-cancerous and cancerous cervical changes
What two proteins are encoded by the virus and have transforming genes?
Two proteins E6 and E7 encoded by the virus have transforming genes.
What is the pathophysiology of E6 and E7 presence in HPV?
E6 and E7 bind to and inactivate two tumour suppressor genes:
- Retinoblastoma gene (Rb) (E7)
- P53 (E6)
Both effects interfere with apoptosis and increase unscheduled cellular proliferation both of which contribute to oncogenesis.
Infection is either latent or productive.
What are the two distinct biological states of HPV infection?
A- Non productive or latent infection
B- Productive viral infection
What happens in productive viral infection with HPV?
Viral DNA replication occurs independently of host chromosomal DNA synthesis.
Large numbers of viral DNA are produced and result in infectious virions.
Characteristic cytological and histological features are seen
What happens in non productive or latent infection of HPV?
- HPV DNA continues to reside in the basal cells
- Infectious virions are not produced
- Replication of viral DNA is coupled to replication of the epithelial cells occurring in concert with replication of the host DNA
- Complete viral particles are not produced
- The cellular effects of HPV infection are not seen
- Infection can only be identified by molecular methods
What are the screening intervals for cervical cancer?
What is the sensitivity of cervical screening?
Cervical cytology has a sensitivity ranging between 50% - 95% and specificity of at most 90% in detecting high grade CIN and SCC.
Now screening is focusing on detection of high risk HPV by molecular genetic approaches.
Which assay is available for detection of HPV?
Hybrid Capture II (HC2) HPV DNA Test - a nucleic acid solution hybridization assay with signal amplification that uses long synthetic RNA probes complementary to the DNA sequence of:
- 5 low-risk HPV types ( types 6, 11, 42, 43 and 44)
- 13 high risk types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68).
RNA probe cocktails to the most common cancer-associated HPV types
What are the benefits of the HPV vaccine? What ages is it offered to? How many doses?
The vaccine helps protect against cancers caused by HPV, including:
- cervical cancer
- some cancers of the anal and genital areas and genital warts
- some head and neck cancers
Girls and boys aged 12 to 13 years are offered the HPV vaccine as part of the NHS vaccination programme.
In England, they are routinely offered the 1st dose when they’re in school Year 8, and the 2nd dose is offered 6 to 24 months after the 1st dose.
It’s important to have both doses of the vaccine to be properly protected.
What are the layers of the uterine body?
Endometrium:
- Glands
- Stroma
Myometrium
What are the indications for uterine biopsies?
Endometrium:
- Infertility
- Uterine bleeding
- Thickened endometrium on imaging
Uterus or related mass:
- Lesion identified on imaging
- As part of a wider resection
List 5 pathologies affecting the uterine corpus.
- Congenital anomalies
- Inflammation: acute or chronic
- Adenomyosis
- Dysfunctional uterine bleeding: e.g. hormonal imbalance
- Endometrial atrophy and hyperplasia
- Endometrial polyp
- Uterine tumours
What are the types of tumours of the uterus?
- Endometrial epithelial tumours and precursors
- Mesenchymal tumours specific to the uterus
- Mixed epithelial and mesenchymal tumours
- Miscellaneous tumours
- Tumour like lesions; e.g. endometrial polyp
What are the causes of endometrial hyperplasia?
- Perimenopause
- Persistent anovulation
- Polycystic ovary (PCO)
- Ovarian Granulosa cell tumours
- Oestrogen therapy
- May be associated with atypia