Cytological features of uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex-cord tumors in liquid-based cervical cytology: a potential pitfall. Report of a unique and rare case.
Estelle DubrucMaria Teresa Alvarez FloresYannick BernierLucia GherasimiucAlexandre PontiPatrice MathevetMassimo BongiovanniPublished in: Diagnostic cytopathology (2019)
Uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex-cord tumors (UTROSCTs) are rare uterine neoplasms of uncertain etiology that resemble the sex cord tumors of the ovary and display a combined sex cord, epithelial, and smooth muscle immunophenotype. Most tumors are associated with a benign clinical course. We report the first cytological description of uterine UTROSCTs in liquid-based cervical cytology (LBC). A menopausal woman was discovered to have a uterine intraluminal polypoid mass protruding through the vagina. A Pap test was performed, and the LBC preparation showed isolated tumor cells with scant cytoplasm and slightly irregular, ovoid nuclei with fine chromatin and small nucleoli. Final histological evaluation identified a UTROSCT. This diagnostic possibility, albeit rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis when isolated malignant-appearing adenocarcinomatous cells are seen in women in the above scenario. As these features are not specific, they may result in misinterpretation with tumors that are more common and aggressive.