Skip to main content

Most endometrial polyps appear to originate from localized hyperplasia of the basalis, although their pathogenesis is not well understood. Polyps occur over a wide age range, but are most common in women in the fourth and fifth decades, becoming less frequent after age 60. Usually they present with abnormal uterine bleeding, and have been implicated as a cause of abnormal bleeding in between 2% and 23% of patients coming to biopsy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Sherman ME, Mazur MT, Kurman RJ. Benign diseases of the endometrium. In: Kurman RJ, ed. Blaustein’s pathology of the female genital tract. 5th ed. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2002: 421–466.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Van Bogaert L-J. Clinicopathologic findings in endometrial polyps. Obstet Gynecol 1988; 71:771–773.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Peterson WF, Novak ER. Endometrial polyps. Obstet Gynecol 1956; 8:40–49.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Schlaen I, Bergeron C, Ferenczy A, Wong P, Naves A, Bertoli R. Endometrial polyps: A study of 204 cases. Surg Pathol 1988; 1:375–382.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Reslova T, Tosner J, Resl M, Kugler R, Vavrova I. Endometrial polyps. A clinical study of 245 cases. Arch Gynecol Obstet 1999; 262:133–139.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Loffer FD. Hysteroscopy with selective endometrial sampling compared with D&C for abnormal uterine bleeding. The value of a negative hysteroscopic view. Obstet Gynecol 1989; 73:16–20.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Schindler AE, Schmidt G. Post-menopausal bleeding: A study of more than 1000 cases. Maturitas 1980; 2:269–274.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Choo YC, Mak KC, Hsu C, Wong TS, Ma HK. Postmenopausal uterine bleeding of nonorganic cause. Obstet Gynecol 1985; 66:225–228.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Dallenbach-Hellweg G. The endometrium of infertility. A review. Pathol Res Pract 1984; 178:527–537.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wallach EE. The uterine factor in infertility. Fertil Steril 1972; 23:138–158.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Foss BA, Horne HW, Hertig AT. The endometrium and sterility. Fertil Steril 1958; 9:193–206.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sillo-Seidl G. The analysis of the endometrium of 1,000 sterile women. Hormones 1971; 2:70–75.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bakour SH, Gupta JK, Khan KS. Risk factors associated with endometrial polyps in abnormal uterine bleeding. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2002; 76:165–168.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Cohen I, Azaria R, Bernheim J, Shapira J, Beyth Y. Risk factors of endometrial polyps resected from postmenopausal patients with breast carcinoma treated with tamoxifen. Cancer 2001; 92:1151–1155.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Deligdisch L, Kalir T, Cohen CJ, de Latour M, Le Bouedec G, Penault-Llorca F. Endometrial histopathology in 700 patients treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer. Gynecol Oncol 2000; 78:181–186.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Vosse M, Renard F, Coibion M, Neven P, Nogaret JM, Hertens D. Endometrial disorders in 406 breast cancer patients on tamoxifen: The case for less intensive monitoring. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2002; 101:58–63.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nuovo MA, Nuovo GJ, McCaffrey FM, Levine RU, Barron B, Winkler B. Endometrial polyps in postmenopausal patients receiving tamoxifen. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1989; 8:125–131.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Corley D, Rowe J, Curtis MT, Hogan WM, Noumoff JS, Livolsi VA. Postmenopausal bleeding from unusual endometrial polyps in women on chronic tamoxifen therapy. Obstet Gynecol 1992; 79:111–116.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Perrone G, DeAngelis C, Critelli C, Capri O, Galoppi P, Santoro G, et al. Hysteroscopic findings in postmenopausal abnormal uterine bleeding: a comparison between HRT users and non-users. Maturitas 2002; 43:251–255.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dinh TV, Slavin RE, Bhagavan BS, Hannigan EV, Tiamson EM, Yandell RB. Mixed mullerian tumors of the uterus. A clinicopathologic study. Obstet Gynecol 1989; 74:388–392.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Salm R. The incidence and significance of early carcinomas in endometrial polyps. J Pathol 1972; 108:47–53.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Wolfe SA, Mackles A. Malignant lesions arising from benign endometrial polyps. Obstet Gynecol 1962; 20:542–550.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Silva EG, Jenkins R. Serous carcinoma in endometrial polyps. Mod Pathol 1990; 3:120–128.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kahner S, Ferenczy A, Richart RM. Homologous mixed mullerian tumors (carcinosarcoma) confined to endometrial polyps. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1975; 121:278–279.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Barwick KW, Livolsi VA. Heterologous mixed mullerian tumor confined to an endometrial polyp. Obstet Gynecol 1979; 53:512–514.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Silverberg SG, Major FJ, Blessing JA, Fetter B, Askin FB, Liao S-Y, et al. Carcinosarcoma (malignant mixed mesodermal tumor) of the uterus. A Gynecologic Oncology Group pathologic study of 203 cases. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1990; 9:1–19.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Armenia CS. Sequential relationship between endometrial polyps and carcinoma of the endometrium. Obstet Gynecol 1967; 30:524–529.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Gray LA, Robertson RWJ, Christopherson WM. Atypical endometrial changes associated with carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol 1974; 2:93–100.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Pettersson B, Adami H-O, Lindgren A, Hesselius I. Endometrial polyps and hyperplasia as risk factors for endometrial carcinoma. A case-control study of curettage specimens. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1985; 64:653–659.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Bakour SH, Khan KS, Gupta JK. The risk of premalignant and malignant pathology in endometrial polyps. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2000; 79:317–320.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Orvieto R, Bar-Hava I, Dicker D, Bar J, Ben Rafael Z, Neri A. Endometrial polyps during menopause: Characterization and significance. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1999; 78:883–886.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Fraser IS. Hysteroscopy and laparoscopy in women with menorrhagia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990; 162:1264–1269.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Epstein E, Ramirez A, Skoog L, Valentin L. Dilatation and curettage fails to detect most focal lesions in the uterine cavity in women with postmenopausal bleeding. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2001; 80:1131–1136.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Dallenbach-Hellweg G. Histopathology of the endometrium, 4th ed. New York: Springer-Verlag;1987.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Silverberg SG, Kurman RJ. Tumors of the uterine corpus and gestational trophoblastic disease. Atlas of tumor pathology, 3rd series, Fascicle 3. Washington, DC: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Buckley CH, Fox H. Biopsy pathology of the endometrium. 2nd ed. London: Arnold; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Hattab EM, Allam-Nandyala P, Rhatigan RM. The stromal component of large endometrial polyps. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1999; 18:332–337.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Tai LH, Tavassoli FA. Endometrial polyps with atypical (bizarre) stromal cells. Am J Surg Pathol 2002; 26:505–509.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Kennedy MM, Baigrie CF, Manek S. Tamoxifen and the endometrium: review of 102 cases and comparison with HRT-related and non-HRT-related endometrial pathology. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1999; 18:130–137.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Lehman MB, Hart WR. Simple and complex hyperplastic papillary proliferations of the endometrium: A clinicopathologic study of nine cases of apparently localized papillary lesions with fibrovascular stromal cores and epithelial metaplasia. Am J Surg Pathol 2001; 25:1347–1354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Mazur MT. Atypical polypoid adenomyomas of the endometrium. Am J Surg Pathol 1981; 5:473–482.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Young RH, Treger T, Scully RE. Atypical polypoid adenomyoma of the uterus. A report of 27 cases. Am J Clin Pathol 1986; 86:139–145.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Fukunaga M, Endo Y, Ushigome S, Ishikawa E. Atypical polypoid adenomyomas of the uterus. Histopathology 1995; 27:35–42.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Kuwashima Y, Uehara T, Kurosumi M, Kishi K, Ohno H, Maruyama M, et al. Atypical polypoid adenomyoma of the uterus in a very old woman. Report of a case with immunohistochemical characterization of its stromal components and proliferative status. Eur J Gynaecol Oncol 1995; 16:115–119.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Clement PB, Young RH. Atypical polypoid adenomyoma of the uterus associated with Turner’s syndrome. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1987; 6:104–113.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Lee KR. Atypical polypoid adenomyoma of the endometrium associated with adenomyomatosis and adenocarcinoma. Gynecol Oncol 1993; 51:416–418.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Staros EB, Shilkitus WF. Atypical polypoid adenomyoma with carcinomatous transformation: A case report. Surg Pathol 1991; 4:157–166.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Sugiyama T, Ohta S, Nishida T, Okura N, Tanabe K, Yakushiji M. Two cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma arising from atypical polypoid adenomyoma. Gynecol Oncol 1998; 71:141–144.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Friedler S, Margalioth EJ, Kafka I, Yaffe H. Incidence of post-abortion intra-uterine adhesions evaluated by hysteroscopy. A prospective study. Hum Reprod 1993; 8:442–444.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mazur, M.T., Kurman, R.J. (2005). Polyps. In: Diagnosis of Endometrial Biopsies and Curettings. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-26321-2_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-26321-2_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-98615-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-26321-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics