Cyclin E expression and early cervical neoplasia in ThinPrep specimens. A feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate cyclin E expression as a possible marker for early cervical neoplasia using ThinPrep gynecologic specimens from premenopausal women.


METHODS
Archived ThinPrep liquid-based cervical/endocervical specimens (Cytyc Corporation, Boxborough, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) diagnosed as human papillomavirus infection (HPV) (20), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) (48) and within normal limits (WNL)/benign cellular changes (BCC) (21) were resampled in duplicate, fixed in 95% ethanol, subjected to immunocytochemical staining with the cyclin E antibody (clone 13A3, Novocastra Laboratories Ltd., Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.) and HPV antibody (clone K1H8, Dako Corporation, Carpinteria, California, U.S.A.) and the expression scored by two pathologists and correlated with the cytologic diagnosis. A case was scored as positive if it contained > 10 abnormal squamous cells with nuclear immunocytochemical staining.


RESULTS
The cylin E antibody assay was positive in 20 (100%) cases cytologically diagnosed as HPV. These cases were also anti-HPV antibody positive. Four cases (19%) cytologically diagnosed as WNL/BCC were cyclin E positive. Of these, two were anti-HPV antibody positive. Thirty-four (73%) cases cytologically diagnosed as ASCUS were positive for the cyclin E assay and for anti-HPV antibody staining.


CONCLUSIONS
Cyclin E expression correlates strongly with morphologic features of HPV in ThinPrep specimens and may serve as a surrogate marker for HPV infection and early cervical preneoplastic lesions.
Weaver
E J
EJ
Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Kovatich
A J
AJ
Bibbo
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers; D019927:Cyclin E / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers; D019927:Cyclin E