The utility of ThinPrep cytology and immunohistochemical staining of p16INK4a, Ki-67, and p63 in the assessment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (dysplasia)

Background: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a precancerous lesion with the capability of progressing to squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC). Despite the clearly defined criteria, histopathological diagnoses in hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections are subject to high rates of interpathologist discordance. The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the results of both ThinPrep cytology and the immunohistochemical-staining pattern of p16, Ki-67, and p63, in diagnosing and grading cervical dysplasia. After such a comparison, the researchers hoped that the diagnostic accuracy in equivocal cases would improve. Patients and methods: The current study was carried out on 38 patients with nondysplastic and neoplastic cervical lesions, and initial screening with ThinPrep cytology was performed. Immunohistochemical-staining of p16, Ki-67, and p63 was performed for all the patients. The results were compared with the histopathological diagnoses. Results: ThinPrep cytology was found to have 100% sensitivity in detecting low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions – with relatively low specificity – when compared with confirmed histopathological results. Diffuse, strong, band-like p16-immunostaining was detected in 71.4% of the CIN2 patients, 91.7% of the CIN3 patients, and 87.5% of the SCC patients, which were significantly associated with the CIN grade (P
Source: Egyptian Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research