Koichiro Sugihara

Endometrial carcinoma in women aged 40 years or younger: a Japanese experience

We report on the clinical and pathologic findings in 17 cases of endometrial carcinoma in Japanese women aged 40 years or younger. Age of the patients ranged from 16 to 40 years, with a median of 35 years. Nine of 17 tumors (52.9%) were stage I or II (FIGO 1988) but 8 (47.1%) were stage III. Four of the 8 patients with stage III disease had pelvic lymph node metastases and one also had para-aortic lymph node metastasis. One patient had metastasis to the ovary and peritoneal cytology was positive in 4 patients. Histologically, 13 of these 17 patients had endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 3 had adenoacanthoma and 1 had an undifferentiated carcinoma. Ten were well differentiated tumors (G1), 3 were moderately differentiated tumors (G2), and 4 were poorly differentiated tumors (G3). Nine of 17 (52.9%) showed deep myometrial invasion (more than a half of the myometrium) and 5 of 17 (29.4%) demonstrated lymphatic/vascular space invasion. Pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastases were seen in 4 of 15 (26.7%) and 1 of 15 (6.7%), respectively. Two of these 17 patients died of disease in a relatively short follow-up period. In our experience there is no difference in the survival rates between patients aged 40 years or younger and those over 40 years.

Cytologic Analysis of Primary Stomach Adenocarcinoma Metastatic to the Uterine Cervix

OBJECTIVE To investigate the cytologic and pathologic features of endocervical lesions in cases of gastric adenocarcinoma metastatic to the uterine cervix. STUDY DESIGN From 1986 to 1994, four patients with gastric adenocarcinoma metastatic to the uterine cervix were treated at our department. The cervical cytologic samples were obtained by swabbing and were stained by the Papanicolaou method. Presence of tumor diathesis, number of atypical cells, cell arrangement, cytoplastic vacuoles, cellular and nuclear diameter, chromatin distribution and size of the nucleolus were investigated. RESULTS The smear backgrounds were dirty (tumor diathesis) in two cases and clean in two. No significant difference in the number of atypical cells or in cell or nuclear diameter between primary and metastatic adenocarcinoma was shown. Cell arrangement was the different cytologic finding between primary and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Sheetlike or isolated arrangement was seen frequently in metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION Because different cytologic features have been found in past and the present series, cytologic diagnosis of metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma should be made carefully.

Low Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Associated with Human Papillomavirus Infection

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation between the development of low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (LCIN) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in cases with long-term follow-up. STUDY DESIGN Forty-three cases of LCIN were followed for more than five years with cytology, colposcopy and Vira Pap. Coexistence of HPV infection was sought using a simplified HPV detection kit, the Vira Pap method (Dot Blot hybridization). RESULTS Regressive disease was noted in 21 cases, and persistent and progressive disease was noted in 22 cases. HPV DNA was negative in 81% (17 of 21) of regressive disease and positive in 55% (12 of 22) persistent and progressive disease. LCIN had disappeared in 17 (63%) of 27 cases negative for HPV DNA and was persistent or progressive in 12 (75%) of 16 cases positive for HPV DNA. CONCLUSION The clinical course of LCIN correlates well with HPV infection.

Myxoid Leiomyosarcoma of the Uterus

BACKGROUND: Myxoid leiomyosarcoma is a rare variant of uterine sarcoma, exhibiting malignant biologic behavior despite the absence of cytologic atypia and of significant mitotic activity. CASE: A 20-year-old female was referred with a cystic pelvic mass. At laparotomy, the tumor, weighed 2,200 g and originating in the left lateral uterine wall, was removed. Microscopic examination revealed well-differentiated smooth muscle cells without atypia and with a few mitotic figures in the copious myxoid matrix, suggesting myxoid leiomyosarcoma. Three years following laparotomy, an irregular mass around the uterus was noted on sonographic examination, suggesting local recurrence. Two years and six months later, the second operation was performed, and a locally recurrent, multicystic tumor weighing 3,500 g was excised. The histopathology was similar to that of the primary tumor. Cytologic findings on imprint material from the tumor revealed a few isolated or sheet like small cells consisting of spindle and polygonal cells with round and oval nuclei. Cytologic atypia was also minimal. CONCLUSION: Myxoid leiomyosarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of smooth muscle neoplasia.

Sarcoma botryoides of the cervix : Report of a case with cytopathologic findings

BACKGROUND Cytologic findings of sarcoma botryoides were still equivocal because sarcoma botryoides of the uterine cervix is an extremely rare neoplasm, and few cases have been reported to date. CASE A 17-year-old female was diagnosed with sarcoma botryoides of the uterine cervix. The entire vaginal canal was occupied with polypoid masses, which arose from the anterior lip of the uterine cervix, and the tumor was classified as group I (Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study). After wedge resection and six courses of combination chemotherapy, the tumor recurred in the same location of the cervix as the primary lesion. Touch smear of the polypoid mass formed loose clusters and also showed short spindle cells in a necrotic background. The nucleus of the tumor cells had a thin nuclear membrane, fine chromatin pattern and partly clear nucleolus, showing mild nuclear atypia. Immunohistochemically, some of the tumor cells showed positive staining for myoglobin and desmin. CONCLUSION The cytologic findings of sarcoma botryoides of the female genital tract are typical features of nonepithelial malignant tumor. Immunohistochemical study is useful for the diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma.

The promotion of invasion through the basement membrane of cervical carcinoma cells by fibronectin as a chemoattractant

An in vitro migration and invasion assay was used as the model system to study the effect of 3T3 fibroblast conditioned medium (FCM) and purified human fibronectin on the invasion of cervical carcinoma cells. The 3T3 FCM significantly enhanced both the migration and the invasion of a cervical carcinoma cell line, HeLa. This enhancement of migration and invasion was inhibited by anti-fibronectin antibody. Purified fibronectin alone enhanced the invasion in a dose-dependent manner for all cervical carcinoma cell lines, HeLa, CAC-1 and TMCC. The pretreatment of cells with cell binding aminosequences, GRGDSP and/or YIGSR blocked the enhancement of cell invasion. The implication of these findings for the invasion of cervical carcinoma is discussed.

Cellular characteristics of Arias-Stella reaction in ectopic pregnancy. Immunocytochemical studies with epithelial membrane antigen and vimentin

OBJECTIVE Endometrial cytology in nine cases of ectopic pregnancy was examined in order to elucidate the cellular characteristics of the Arias-Stella reaction and decidual change. STUDY DESIGN The cellular findings of epithelial and stromal cells were compared with histologic findings in each case. Furthermore, the immunocytochemical reactivity of each type of cell cluster-epithelial cells without atypia, epithelial cells with atypia, deep stromal cells and sheetlike stromal cells-to epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) or vimentin was investigated and compared with cytologic findings in smears stained with Papanicolaou stain. RESULTS The distribution of each type of cell cluster correlated fairly well with the histologic findings on the endometrium. Immunocytochemical examination revealed that EMA expression coincided with cell origin identified by Papanicolaou stain. Epithelial cells with atypia, probably corresponding to the Arias-Stella reaction, frequently showed positive reactivity to antivimentin antibody as well as anti-EMA antibody. Endometrial stromal cells usually indicated negative reactivity to anti-EMA antibody. Deep stromal cells expressed vimentin, but sheetlike stromal cells, thought to be decidual cells, infrequently expressed vimentin. CONCLUSION The Arias-Stella reaction may be the result of the regenerating and proliferating activity of endometrial glands. It is still controversial whether sheet-like stromal cells are identical to decidual cells.