CytoSaLPs score: a promising new tool for the detection and screening of extrauterine high grade serous carcinoma

• Published in: BMC cancer 2023-02, Vol.23 (1), p.157-157, Article 157
• Main Authors: Lekka, Sofia, Psomiadou, Victoria, Panoskaltsis, Theodoros, Tsouma, Eleni, Novkovic, Natasa, Trihia, Helen, Tzaida, Olympia, Korfias, Dimitrios, Giannakas, Panagiotis, Iavazzo, Christos, Vakas, Panagiotis, Vlahos, Nikolaos, Vorgias, George
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benign; Body mass index; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial - pathology; Care and treatment; Cellular biology; Cervical cancer; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous - diagnosis; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous - pathology; Cytology; Diagnosis; Endometrial cancer; Fallopian tube; Fallopian Tube Neoplasms - pathology; Fallopian tubes; Fallopian Tubes - pathology; Female; Gastric cancer; Gynecology; Health aspects; Humans; Hysterectomy; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Morphology; Ovarian cancer; Ovarian Neoplasms - diagnosis; Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology; Pathology; Patient outcomes; Patients; Physical characteristics; Statistical analysis; Surgery; tubal cytology; Tumors; Women
• ISSN: 1471-2407; 1471-2407
• DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10607-w

A recent theory supports that high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer derives from the fimbrial end of the fallopian tube and during the last decade, a few studies have examined the fallopian tube cytology. Our study aims to determine the cytomorphological characteristics of both benign and non-benign salpingeal samples, in order to establish fallopian cytology as a valuable diagnostic test for women with high risk for development of ovarian/fallopian/peritoneal cancer. Our study included patients undergoing salpingoophorectomy or total hysterectomy and salpingoophorectomy for any gynecological pathology. Using a soft brush, fallopian tube smears from the fimbrial end were collected ex vivo. The Cytologists of our Institution described the morphological characteristics of the fallopian cells by adopting a proposed Table, which had a calibration system ranging from 3 to 29. This Table is referred to as the CytoSaLPs Score. Our study compared the two diagnostic cytological methods, the one of the conventional cytology and the other using the CytoSaLPs Score, having as gold standard the tubal's pathological findings. A total of 230 tubal specimens from 144 patients were included in this study. The Score's mean for the benign and non-benign arm was 12.8 and 18.7 respectively. The cut-off point for both arms was 16.5. The CytoSaLPs Score tool showed significantly higher specificity (87.50% vs. 75.96, p-value