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CORRESPONDENCE & BRIEF REPORTS
Small cell carcinoma of the endometrium: report of three cases and literature review
  1. A. Katahira*,
  2. J. Akahira*,
  3. H. Niikura*,
  4. K. Ito*,
  5. T. Moriya†,
  6. S. Matsuzawa‡,
  7. S. Makinoda‡,
  8. T. Oda§,
  9. K. Fujiwara§ and
  10. N. Yaegashi*
  1. * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
  2. † Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
  3. ‡ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan
  4. § Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Nobuo Yaegashi, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Seiryo-machi 1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan. Email: yaegashi{at}mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp

Abstract

Background Small cell carcinoma of the endometrium is extremely rare.

Aim We reported three cases of this rare tumor and reviewed the literature.

Cases Case 1 was a 54-year-old woman and case 3 was a 58-year-old woman. Both patients presented with vaginal bleeding. Case 2, a 53-year-old woman, had no symptoms and had a vaginal-cervical smear suspicious for malignancy. All patients underwent surgery and their tumors originated in the endometrium. In all three cases, pathological examination revealed small cell carcinoma of endometrium, and immunohistochemical reactivity for one or more neuroendocrine markers was found in all cases. Under electron microscopy in case 2 and case 3, dense core granules in the cytoplasm of tumor cells were found only in case 3. Case 3 was stage IIIA and died of her disease 12 months after surgery. Both cases 1 and 2 were stage IB and alive with no evidence of disease for 28 months and 9 years, respectively.

Conclusion Although the prognosis of small cell carcinoma of endometrium is poor, early detection of this disease may contribute to an improved prognosis.

  • small cell carcinoma
  • endometrium
  • immunohistochemistry
  • electron microscopy

https://doi.org/10.1136/ijgc-00009577-200409000-00041

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