Publications by authors named "Maaike Bleeker"

High-risk HPV (hrHPV)-based screening has led to many unnecessary colposcopy referrals, mainly because of direct referral after low-grade cytology (ASC-US/LSIL). DNA methylation and genotyping tests on ASC-US/LSIL samples have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of screening. In this study, 12 triage strategies were constructed from FAM19A4/miR124-2 or ASCL1/LHX8 methylation, HPV16/18 or HPV16/18/31/33/45 genotyping and 1-year repeat cytology.

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Background: Recently, the immunohistochemical markers cytokeratin 17 (CK17) and SRY-box2 (SOX2) have been evaluated as adjuncts for the diagnosis of high-grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). In the present study, the aim was to assess CK17 and SOX2 expression in VIN by studying 150 vulvar lesions, originally reported as high-grade VIN and to assess the diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: All slides (H&E, p16, p53, Ki-67, CK17, and SOX2 stains) were independently assessed by six pathologists and the final diagnosis was reached in consensus meetings, as follows: 46 human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent VIN (including 30 p53 mutant and 16 p53 wild-type lesions), 58 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs), 4 low-grade SILs (LSILs), 37 non-dysplastic lesions, and 5 lesions where the histology was inconclusive.

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Objective: To systematically explore vulvar pathology diagnosed prior to vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), as well as the association with tumor characteristics, stage and survival outcome, with the aim of improving vulvar cancer prevention strategies.

Methods: VSCC diagnosed between 2005 and 2019 were identified from a population-based cohort provided by the Dutch Nationwide Pathology Databank. Pathology reports were reviewed to identify vulvar pathology diagnosed before primary VSCC.

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Article Synopsis
  • * It compares outcomes of large loop excision (LLETZ), cold-knife conization (CKC), and hysterectomy in a cohort of 4,243 patients, finding that LLETZ had a higher recurrence rate of high-grade dysplasia compared to CKC.
  • * When a complete radical excision is achieved, both LLETZ and CKC show similar low rates of recurrence, while hysterectomy results in no cases of cervical dysplasia or cancer, suggesting conservative treatments can be
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Early detection of recurrent cervical cancer is important to improve survival rates. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical performance of DNA methylation markers and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervicovaginal self-samples and urine for the detection of recurrent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer patients without recurrence (n = 47) collected cervicovaginal self-samples and urine pre- and posttreatment.

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Vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory dermatosis that can progress to human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (HPVi VIN) and vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC). Although LS has a much lower cancer risk compared with HPVi VIN (5% vs 50%, respectively), its incidence is significantly higher. Therefore, there is a clinical need to identify LS patients with an increased cancer risk.

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Background: Shallow whole genome sequencing (Shallow-seq) is used to determine the copy number aberrations (CNA) in tissue samples and circulating tumor DNA. However, costs of NGS and challenges of small biopsies ask for an alternative to the untargeted NGS approaches. The mFAST-SeqS approach, relying on LINE-1 repeat amplification, showed a good correlation with Shallow-seq to detect CNA in blood samples.

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Background: High ovarian cancer mortality rates motivate the development of effective and patient-friendly diagnostics. Here, we explored the potential of molecular testing in patient-friendly samples for ovarian cancer detection.

Methods: Home-collected urine, cervicovaginal self-samples, and clinician-taken cervical scrapes were prospectively collected from 54 patients diagnosed with a highly suspicious ovarian mass (benign n = 25, malignant n = 29).

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Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-independent vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is a rare yet aggressive precursor lesion of vulvar cancer. Our objectives were to estimate its long-term incidence, the risk of recurrent disease and progression to vulvar cancer, and risk factors thereof.

Materials And Methods: Patients with HPV-independent VIN between 1991 and 2019 in a selected region were identified from the Dutch Nationwide Pathology Databank (Palga).

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Depth of invasion (DOI) is an important diagnostic parameter in patients with vulvar carcinoma, where a cutoff value of 1 mm largely determines the tumor stage and the need for groin surgery. DOI measurement should be reproducible and straightforward. In light of the new recommendation on how to measure DOI in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system 2021, an exploratory study was conducted on the current practice of DOI measurement in vulvar cancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that can lead to serious complications like differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN) and vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), making its management critical especially post-surgery for VSCC.
  • A survey of 44 gynecologic oncologists in the Netherlands revealed that topical corticosteroids (TCS) are prescribed more frequently for LS patients without a history of VSCC compared to those following surgery for VSCC (86% vs. 52%).
  • Both patient groups are primarily treated with ultra-potent TCS for symptom relief and to prevent progression to serious conditions, though guidelines on post-surgery LS management remain unclear.
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Background: The optimal follow-up strategy to detect recurrence after fertility-sparing surgery for early stage cervical cancer is unknown. Tailored surveillance based on individual risks could contribute to improved efficiency and, subsequently, reduce costs in health care. The aim of this study was to establish the predictive value of cervical cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing to detect recurrent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+; including recurrent cervical cancer) after fertility-sparing surgery.

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As human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation and HPV-based cervical cancer (CC) screening programmes expand across sub-Saharan Africa, we investigated the potential impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status on high-risk (HR)-HPV distribution among women with CC in Côte d'Ivoire. From July 2018 to June 2020, paraffin-embedded CC specimens diagnosed in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire were systematically collected and tested for HR-HPV DNA. Type-specific HR-HPV prevalence was compared according to HIV status.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focuses on the accurate diagnosis of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) caused by HPV and HPV-independent vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), highlighting the challenges in this area.
  • The research involved analyzing 751 patients with initially diagnosed high-grade VIN, using methods like histopathological reassessment and immunohistochemical testing, revealing that most lesions were HPV-associated and demonstrating significant differences in cancer risk between HPV-associated and HPV-independent cases.
  • The findings emphasize the importance of using p16 and p53 immunohistochemistry for accurate categorization of lesions, as HPV-independent VIN shows a much higher risk of cancer, especially in cases with mutant p53 patterns or nondifferenti
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Women treated for CIN2/3 remain at increased risk of recurrent CIN and cervical cancer, and therefore posttreatment surveillance is recommended. This post hoc analysis evaluates the potential of methylation markers ASCL1/LHX8 and FAM19A4/miR124-2 for posttreatment detection of recurrent CIN2/3. Cervical scrapes taken at 6 and 12 months posttreatment of 364 women treated for CIN2/3 were tested for methylation of ASCL1/LHX8 and FAM19A4/miR124-2 using quantitative multiplex methylation-specific PCR.

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Objective: In the 2018 FIGO staging system, cervical cancers with ≤5 mm depth of invasion (DOI) and a diameter of >7 mm, first classified as stage IB, are classified as stage IA. In this group, it is unclear what the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) is. This retrospective cohort study aims to determine the incidence of LNM and to study the association between disease-related characteristics and LNM.

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Background: Host-cell DNA methylation analysis can be used to triage women with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive self-collected cervicovaginal samples, but current data are restricted to under-/never-screened women and referral populations. This study evaluated triage performance in women who were offered primary HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening.

Methods: Self-collected samples from 593 HPV-positive women who participated in a primary HPV self-sampling trial (IMPROVE study; NTR5078), were tested for the DNA methylation markers ASCL1 and LHX8 using quantitative multiplex methylation-specific PCR (qMSP).

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The precursor lesions of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) include human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated and HPV-independent squamous neoplasia with a varying cancer risk. Our study aimed to validate the accuracy of previously identified DNA methylation markers for detection of such high-grade vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). A large clinical series of 751 vulvar lesions, originally diagnosed as high-grade VIN, were reassessed and categorized into HPV-associated or HPV-independent vulvar disease categories.

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Endometrial cancer incidence is rising and current diagnostics often require invasive biopsy procedures. DNA methylation marker analysis of minimally- and non-invasive sample types could provide an easy-to-apply and patient-friendly alternative to determine cancer risk. Here, we compared the performance of DNA methylation markers to detect endometrial cancer in urine, cervicovaginal self-samples and clinician-taken cervical scrapes.

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There is evidence for increased angiogenesis in the (ectopic) endometrium of adenomyosis patients under the influence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF stimulates both angiogenesis and lymph-angiogenesis. However, information on lymph vessels in the (ectopic) endometrium of adenomyosis patients is lacking.

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The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD), the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD), and the European Federation for Colposcopy (EFC) developed consensus statements on pre-invasive vulvar lesions in order to improve the quality of care for patients with vulvar squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, vulvar Paget disease in situ, and melanoma in situ. For differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN), an excisional procedure must always be adopted. For vulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (VHSIL), both excisional procedures and ablative ones can be used.

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The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD), the European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD), and the European Federation for Colposcopy (EFC) developed consensus statements on pre-invasive vulvar lesions in order to improve the quality of care for patients with vulvar squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, vulvar Paget disease in situ, and melanoma in situ. For differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN), an excisional procedure must always be adopted. For vulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (VHSIL), both excisional procedures and ablative ones can be used.

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Background: High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2/3 lesions in human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive women <30 years of age have high spontaneous regression rates. To reduce overtreatment, biomarkers are needed to delineate advanced CIN lesions that require treatment. We analyzed the FAM19A4/miR124-2 methylation test and HPV16/18 genotyping in HPV-positive women aged <30 years, aiming to identify CIN2/3 lesions in need of treatment.

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Purpose: Cervical screening can prevent cancer by detection and treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2/3). Screening also results in considerable overtreatment because many CIN2/3 lesions show spontaneous regression when left untreated. In this multicenter longitudinal cohort study of women with untreated CIN2/3, the prognostic value of methylation was evaluated for clinical regression.

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