Conservative Treatment for Patients with Carcinoma in Situ-Positive Margins After a Loop Electroexcisional Procedure: Is It Safe?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of and appropriate treatments for carcinoma in situ (CIS)-positive margin after a loop electroexcisional procedure (LEEP) in the management of squamous carcinoma in situ (SCIS), adenocarcinoma in situ (ACIS), and microinvasive carcinoma (MIC). STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 232 patients who underwent a hysterectomy for CIS-positive margin. We investigated the relationship between residual lesions after hysterectomy and clinical parameters, including age, LEEP method, histologic grade of conized cervix, location of the positive margin after LEEP, results of endocervical curettage (ECC), and size of the conized specimen. RESULTS: Age, LEEP method, proximal endocervical margin positivity, and ECC positivity differed significantly between patients with residual lesions and those with no residual lesions. In a comparison between groups with residual disease of a higher or lower grade than MIC, age, LEEP method, ECC positivity, and histologic grade of conized cervix were significantly different. Age, histologic grade of conized cervix, and ECC positivity were clinical parameters significantly contributing to invasive residual lesion in multivariate regression analysis. There were no residual invasive (MIC or advanced invasive cancer) lesions observed in women <50 years old who had SCIS conized lesions after hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: Conservative treatment with close follow-up or reconization for women <50 years old who have conized SCIS lesions without ECC positivity is acceptable. However, this study does not present sufficient evidence for the conservative treatment of conized ACIS or MIC lesions with CIS-positive margins.