Cervical Cancer Case Study
How Colposcopy Misses Invasive Cervical Cancer
Livingston and Papagiannakis, Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2016
Overview:
A cervical cancer case study, that is used as an example to discuss some of the limitations of conventional colposcopy.
Purpose:
To study and discuss the unusual visual characteristics of a cervical cancer.
Design:
A case report from the IMPROVE-COLPO study, of a 45 year old woman with clinical symptoms and an ASC-US/HPV+ indication that had digital colposcopy with dynamic spectral imaging.
Findings:
Standard visual assessment missed the lesion that was small, slow to develop acetowhitening and distant from the os. The area was highlighted by the DSI map and subsequently biopsied to find a microinvasive cervical cancer that was successfully removed. The appearance of cervical cancer may not fall within the expected templates, and also on patients of low presumed risk.
Conclusion:
Standardized assessment by the combined use of new colposcopy technologies and appropriate colposcopic training is important for the prevention of cervical cancer.
The publication can be accessed here
