| October 2012 · Vol. 24, No. 10 EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE
Does treatment of cervical
intraepithelial neoplasia always
increase the risk of preterm birth
in subsequent gestations?No. In this retrospective-prospective cohort study from England, the risk of preterm delivery in women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was significantly lower than the risk reported in many other studies. In fact, after investigators adjusted for confounding factors, the increased risk of preterm delivery after treatment for CIN ceased to exist.Castanon A, Brocklehurst P, Evans H, et al; PaCT Study Group. Risk of preterm birth after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia among women attending colposcopy in England: retrospective-prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2012;345:e5174. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e5174. EXPERT COMMENTARY
Andrew M. Kaunitz, MDProfessor and Associate Chairman, Department of ObGyn, University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville. Dr. Kaunitz serves on the OBG Management Board of Editors.
Several studies have suggested that the risk of preterm birth increases after treatment for CIN. For example, a meta-analysis of 27 studies found a relative risk (RR) of preterm delivery of 1.70 after treatment for CIN (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24–2.35).1 Later studies from Nordic countries estimated the RR at 1.8 to 2.8.2,3 CLICK HERE to read more |
