Resection margins in conization as prognostic marker for relapse in high-grade dysplasia of the uterine cervix in northern Norway: a retrospective long-term follow-up material.
OBJECTIVE
The main intention of the current study was to evaluate free resection margins in cervical conization specimens as prognostic marker by investigating the statistical association between clear or unclear resection margins of cervical cones and the risk of recurrence.


METHODS
In a retrospective material, 459 women with moderate (CIN II) and severe dysplasia (CIN III) were included. Fifty of the patients were diagnosed with CIN II (10.9%) and 409 with CIN III (89.1%). Cold knife conization was performed in 371 (81%) patients, the rest were treated with CO(2) laser (19%). All the patients had been treated with conization between 1980 and 1984, follow-up time being from 19 to 23 years. Mean age of the patients was 35.2 years (range 18-81 years) at operation. The histopathological material and the results of the follow-up biopsies and smears were accessible as archival material.


RESULTS
A total of 379 (82.6%) patients had clear margins in the primary operation specimens, in 80 patients margins were unclear (17.4%). There were three recurrences in the CIN II group (6%) and 39 (9.5%) in the CIN III group. Further there were 42 (9.2%) relapses in the total group, 36 relapses in the cold-knife group and 6 in the laser group. When univariate analysis was performed to investigate the statistical relation between the resection margins and recurrences, there was no significant correlation (P = 0.7, P > 0.05). Nor did variables like CIN group, surgical procedure, age at disease, age at recurrence, and years till recurrence prove to be predictors of relapses.


CONCLUSIONS
In our material, the relation between free margins and relapse was not statistically significant. According to the literature-free resection margin is not an optimal prognostic criterion for recurrence. The search for new prognostic markers for high-risk cases are important to give these patients adequate therapy and avoiding over-treatment of the low risk groups.
Ørbo
A
A
Department of Pathology, Institute of Medical Biology, Medical Faculty, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway. anne.orbo@unn.no
Arnesen
T
T
Arnes
M
M
Straume
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019092:Conization; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*