title: The Value of Papanicolaou Tests in the Diagnosis of Endometrial Carcinoma: A Large Study Cohort From an Academic Medical Center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine on a large scale whether routine cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) tests play a role in endometrial carcinoma diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective search of an academic women's hospital pathology archive for cases of surgically resected endometrial carcinoma with Pap smears within 36 months before the histologic diagnosis was performed. Demographic features, Pap test results, and tumor features were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 554 (30.5%) of 1,817 cases of endometrial carcinoma with documented Pap test results within 36 months before histologic diagnosis. Among these 554 patients, 405 (73.0%) had Pap test results within 5 months before histologic diagnosis. In total, 154 (38%) cases demonstrated abnormal glandular cells, and 25 (6.2%) had only benign endometrial cells in women 40 years or older. The presence of glandular abnormality on the Pap test is significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor type, depth of invasion, presence of cervical involvement, and presence of lymphovascular invasion (P < .05). The rate of detecting abnormal glandular cells was higher in cases with a high International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage than in cases with a low FIGO stage (47.5% vs 35.5%; P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Pap test may play a role in the detection of endometrial carcinoma, especially for those with cervical involvement, lymphovascular invasion, and/or advanced stage.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Magee-Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA;
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Serdy
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Magee-Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA;
authors.forename: Isil
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yildiz-Aktas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus.
authors.forename: Zaibo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Magee-Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA; zhaoc@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Chengquan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri; D065006:Papanicolaou Test / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014626:Vaginal Smears
keywords: Early detection; Endometrial carcinoma; FIGO stage; Pap test