Applied Medical Informatics (Mar 2011)
Utility of the Ultrasound Evaluation of Intraperitoneal Fat in Correlation with Endometrial Cancer
Abstract
Introduction: In the context of endometrial cancer, visceral obesity as a risk factor is associated with a chronic inflammatory process, confirmed by the increase in inflammatory marker levels. Material and Method: The study is a case-control analysis including 2 groups of patients: group I – 50 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer, group II – 70 patients without gynecological pathology or inflammatory disorders (control group). The diagnosis of endometrial cancer was made following histopathological examination that evaluated the tissue material obtained following endometrial biopsy. After clinical examination and anthropometric measurements, these patients underwent ultrasound and computer tomography examination by which intraperitoneal fat was determined. All parameters were included in the study database. Results: A significant correlation coefficient was also found between visceral fat evaluated by CT and visceral fat assessed by US (r =0.96, p<0.0001). In the case of the control group, the mean visceral fat area was 159.14±42.5 cm²), while in the group of patients with endometrial cancer, the mean visceral fat area was 251.37±59.78 cm². Thus, there is a statistically significant difference in intraperitoneal fat between the two groups (p<0.0001). Conclusions: A visceral fat area larger than 250 cm² is a risk factor for endometrial cancer. The measurement of visceral fat by US can be a screening method for endometrial cancer in obese patients.
