title: Microinvasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma in Slovenia during the period 2001-2007.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma (MISCC) comprises a significant portion of all cervical cancers in Slovenia. Criteria of carcinomatous invasion are well described in the literature, however histopathological assessment of MISCC is difficult, because morphological characteristics can overlap with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN 3) and other pathological changes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the reliability of the histopathological diagnosis of MISCC in Slovenia during the period from 2001 to 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on patients with a histopathological diagnosis of cervical MISCC (FIGO stage IA) in the period of 2001 to 2007 were obtained from the Cancer Registry of Slovenia. Histological slides were obtained from the majority of pathology laboratories in Slovenia. We received 250 cases (69% of all MISCC) for the review; 30 control cases with CIN 3 and invasive squamous cell carcinoma FIGO stage IB were intermixed. The slides were coded and reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 250 cases originally diagnosed as MISCC, there was an agreement with MISCC diagnosis in 184 (73.6%) cases (of these 179/184 (97.3%) cases were FIGO stage IA1 and 5/184 (2.7%) cases were FIGO stage IA2). Among 179 FIGO stage IA1 cases 117 (65.4%) showed only early stromal invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The retrospective review of cases diagnosed as MISCC during the period 2001-2007 in Slovenia showed a considerable number of overdiagnosed cases. Amongst cases with MISCC confirmed on review, there was a significant proportion with early stromal invasion (depth of invasion less than 1 mm).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gutnik
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Jasenka P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Matisic
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Cancer Registry, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Maja Primic
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Zakelj
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Margareta Strojan
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Flezar
keywords: cervical cancer; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; cervical squamous cell carcinoma; microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma