Structured Hysteroscopic Evaluation of Endometrium in Women With Postmenopausal Bleeding

Abstract

Study objective: To evaluate visual pattern parameters obtained with hysteroscopy for the prediction of endometrial cancer, to evaluate observer variation of these parameters, and to present a scoring system of the parameters for the prediction of malignancy compared with subjective evaluation.

Design: A prospective controlled study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1).

Setting: A university clinic.

Patients: One hundred forty-nine consecutive women with postmenopausal bleeding and an endometrium thickness ≥ 5 mm. Sixty-one (41%) had endometrial cancer. Forty-six of 149 women were referred based on suspected malignancy.

Interventions: Endometrial pattern characteristics for endometrial cancer were evaluated in hysteroscopic video clips. The reference standard was pathologic evaluation of resectoscopic samples or hysterectomy. Using multivariate logistic regression, image parameters were correlated with the presence of endometrial cancer. A scoring system of visual parameters for the prediction of malignancy was compared with subjective evaluation of malignancy.

Measurements and main results: A score for lesion surface, necrosis, and vessels had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.89, 0.89, and 0.87, respectively. A hysteroscopic cancer (HYCA) scoring system based on unsmooth lesion surface, papillary projections, surface necrosis, "candy floss" necrosis, white hyperintense spots, irregular branching vessels, and irregular distribution of irregular vessels was able to predict cancer (AUC = 0.964) with higher accuracy than subjective evaluation (AUC = 0.859, p < .01). At a score value ≥ 3, sensitivity was 89% and specificity was 92% with moderate agreement between observers (kappa = 0.56 [0.42-0.71]).

Conclusion: A systematic pattern evaluation of optimal parameters by a HYCA scoring system based on systematically defined terms may increase accuracy in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and should be further elaborated and external validity tested in unselected women with postmenopausal bleeding.

Keywords: Endometrial neoplasms; Hysteroscopy; Postmenopause; Uterine hemorrhage.