Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of uterine cervix is a rare neoplasm which has been called a various names such s small cell carcinoma, endocrine cell carcinoma, carcinoid, oat cell carcinoma, small cell nonkeratinizing carcinoma, APUDoma,
argyrophil
cell carcinoma, carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Since the first case was reported by Albores-Saavedra et al. in 1972, only two cases have been reported in the Korean Journal of Pathology.
A case of primary moderatedly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of uterine cervix is reported. The patient was a 55-year-old woman who sought medical advice for vaginal bleeding and back pain. She was clinically diagnosed as stage Ib
carcinoma of
the uterine cervix. Microscopically, the tumor was characterized by formation of solid nests with pseudorosette in limited areas. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells show diffuse nonspecific reaction to NSE(neuron specific enolase) and strong
focal
positive reaction to chromogranin. On electron microscopy, the cytoplasm of the tumor cells contain scanty organelles including occasional electron dense neurosecretory granules of approximately 200mm. On the basis of immunohistochemical and
electron
microscopic features of tumor cells, the tumor was diagnosed as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
|