Spectrum of Cervical Lesions Among Women Undergoing Cervical Biopsy: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68041/jbpt.v2i3/06Keywords:
Biopsy, Postmenopause, Uterine Cervical Diseases, Uterine Cervical Dysplasia, Uterine Cervical Neoplasms, Uterine CervicitisAbstract
Background: The standard method of determining benign, pre-cancerous, and cancerous cervical lesions is histopathology of biopsy tissue from the cervix. This study aimed to identify the histopathological spectrum of lesions encountered in women who had undergone cervical biopsy and to evaluate the relationship between the lesions and menopausal status. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study design was used to analyze 186 cervical biopsy specimens obtained over the last two years at a tertiary care center. Pathology records were used to obtain demographic and clinical information, including age, indication for biopsy, menopausal status, and histopathological diagnosis. The lesions were graded as benign, premalignant (CIN I-III), and malignant. Association was tested by the Chi-square test and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 with p<0.05 as significant. Results: The mean age was 43.8 ± 11.6 years. The most common indication for a biopsy was abnormal vaginal bleeding 58(31.2%). Chronic cervicitis was the most common single diagnosis 55(29.6%), followed by CIN I 13 (19.9%) and CIN II 28(15.1%). The overall distribution of premalignant lesions, benign lesions, and malignant lesions was 84(45.2%), 23(37.1%), and 33(17.7%), respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common form of cancer. Post menopausal women had significantly more malignant lesions than premenopausal women (23(37.1%) vs 10(8.1%), p<0.001). Conclusion: The largest histopathological group was the premalignant lesions, and the commonest individual lesion was chronic cervicitis, indicating that early biopsy diagnosis and robust cervical screening programme, especially for postmenopausal women, is warranted. Future studies considering HPV status can enhance risk stratification and follow-up.
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