PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHY IN ASYMPTOMATIC ENDOMETRIAL CANCERS

ln the period between 1985 and 1991, 83 postmenopausal women with endo metrial cancer were examined by transvaginal sonography. None of them were on hormone replacement therapy and all had amenorrhea of more tha n 2 years. Twenty-two were asymptomatic and had an endometrial cancer detected by transvaginal sonography and 61 showed atypical bleeding as their only clinical symptom. Women with asymptomatic endometrial canc ers detected by transvaginal sonography exhibited significantly less m ean myometrial tumor infiltration and more well-differentiated tumors than chose with atypical bleeding (4 mm and 45% compared with 10 mm an d 18%, respectively). In 75% of the cases the estimation by transvagin al sonography of tumor stage completely agreed with the histological s taging. These preliminary data show that asymptomatic endometrial canc ers screened by transvaginal sonography ave likely to have a better pr ognosis than symptomatic cancers. Furthermore, transvaginal sonography can be used as a reliable tool for tumor staging prior to surgery or radiotherapy.