Objective: To evaluate the risk of premalignant and malignant pathology among endometrial polyps.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Minimal Access Surgical Training (MAST) center in a large teaching hospital.
Methods: Among 248 patients seen in outpatient hysteroscopy clinic (1996-97), 62 had endometrial polyps. All patients had endometrial sampling for histological assessment. To determine the magnitude of malignant potential among polyps, we compared the pathological findings in polyps (cases) with non-polypoidal specimens (controls).
Results: Out of 62 polyps, histologically 53 (85.5%) were benign, seven (11.3%) had hyperplasia, and two (3.2%) were associated with malignancy. Hyperplasia was more frequent in endometrial specimens with polyps than in those without (11.3% vs 4.3%, p=0.04), but the incidence of carcinoma in the two groups was the same (3.2% vs 3.2%, p= 1.0).
Conclusion: In abnormal uterine bleeding, hyperplasia was, but cancer was not, more common in women with endometrial polyps compared to those without polyps.