title: Cervical dysplasia among women over 35 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to review the cytologic and histopathologic features among women 35 years of age or older with cervical dysplasia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients presenting between 2001 and 2005 were included. Patients were labeled as pre- (PRE) or postmenopausal (POST) based on age younger than or 50 years old or older. Statistics were performed using SAS 8.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred fifty-nine patients were identified: 270 PRE and 89 POST. PRE and POST patients had similar referral cytology with atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASC)/low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) in 60% and 65% and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in 35% and 27%, respectively. Among patients with ASC/LSIL, POST had significantly more cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 (41% vs 29%; P = .027) as well as more malignancies (17 vs 0%; P = .002). Among patients referred for loop electrical excisional procedure secondary to HSIL cytology not explained by colposcopy, CIN 2 or greater was identified more often in POST (71 vs 32%; P = .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrate a high proportion of severe cervical dysplasia in age groups traditionally thought to have less risk than younger patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. kathleen-moore@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bannon
authors.forename: Grainger S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Lanneau
authors.forename: Rosemary E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Zuna
authors.forename: Joan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gold
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology*