IS ROUTINE HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CERVICAL POLYPS NECESSARY?

Faten Limaiem* and Saadia Bouraoui

ABSTRACT

Background: Cervical polyps are the foremost common benign neoplasms of the cervix with the range of prevalence reported as 1.5-10%. Although most cervical polyps are benign, 0.2-1.7% of them are related to malignancy. Aim: To assess the prevalence of malignancy and dysplasia in cervical polyps and to judge whether cervical polyps got to be removed routinely. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 541 cases of cervical polyps that were diagnosed at the pathology department of Mongi Slim hospital over a nine-year period (January 2007 - October 2016). Patients’ age, menopausal status and pathological findings were recorded. Results: The age of our patients ranged between 23 and 86 years aged (mean = 47 years). Forty-seven women with cervical polyps presented with vaginal bleeding (8.68%) while the remaining were either asymptomatic or the rationale for presentation wasn't documented. Among 541 cervical polyps, only two cases (0.37%) of malignancy were encountered which were endometrioid adenocarcinoma and cervical adenosarcoma. Two leiomyomas, one adenomyoma and four condylomas were also diagnosed. There have been also dysplastic (0.74%), metaplastic (3.69%) and inflammatory (26%) changes. Accompanying endometrial pathologies were endometrial polyp (0.92%) (n=5) and endometrial hyperplasia without atypia (0.18%) (n=1). Conclusions: Our data indicate that the prevalence of malignancy (0.37%) and dysplasia (0.74%) is comparatively uncommon on cervical polyps. Routine removal of cervical polyps, although not mandatory, seems clinically prudent because pathological evaluation is required to verify the diagnosis and to rule out other possibilities.

Keywords: Cervical polyp, cervical polypectomy, pathology.