Introduction: Uterine cervix atrophic changes in postmenopausic women can mimic premalignant lesions, difficulting colposcopy and citopathology diagnosis. Immunohistochemical detection of p16INK4a could be useful as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between these changes. However, clinical evidence must be provided in order to accept this technique. Case report: Postmenopausic patient with insatisfactory colposcopy and cyto-hystopathology findings suggestive but not conclusive of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. p16INK4a immunohistochemical detection was negative and hystology of diagnostic/therapeutic conization did not find intraepithelial lesion or malignancy. This case is a contribution favouring p16INK4a as a differential biomarker between atrophic and premalignant changes in order to avoid unnecessary interventions. Both patient’s informed consent and Universidad d...

Introduction: Uterine cervix atrophic changes in postmenopausic women can mimic premalignant lesions, difficulting colposcopy and citopathology diagnosis. Immunohistochemical detection of p16INK4a could be useful as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between these changes. However, clinical evidence must be provided in order to accept this technique. Case report: Postmenopausic patient with insatisfactory colposcopy and cyto-hystopathology findings suggestive but not conclusive of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. p16INK4a immunohistochemical detection was negative and hystology of diagnostic/therapeutic conization did not find intraepithelial lesion or malignancy. This case is a contribution favouring p16INK4a as a differential biomarker between atrophic and premalignant changes in order to avoid unnecessary interventions. Both patient’s informed consent and Universidad d...