Small cell carcinoma of the cervix of neuroendocrine origin causing obstructed labour

Cervical Cancer Associated with Pregnancy: Current Challenges and Future Strategies

Cancer during pregnancy is defined as a tumor diagnosed in a pregnant woman or up to 1-year post-partum. While being a rare disease, cervical cancer is probably one of the most challenging medical conditions, with the dual stake of treating the cancer without compromising its chances for cure, while preserving the pregnancy and the health of the fetus and child. To date, guidelines for gynecological cancers are provided through international consensus meetings with expert panels, giving insights on both diagnosis, treatment, and obstetrical care. However, these expert guidelines do not discuss the various approaches than can be found within the literature, such as alternative staging modalities or innovative surgical approaches. Also, the obstetrical care of women diagnosed with cervical cancer during pregnancy requires specific considerations that are not provided within our current standard of care. This systematic review aims to fill the gap on current issues with regards to the management of cervical cancer during pregnancy and provide future directions within this evolving landscape.

Small cell neuroendocrine tumour of the cervix in pregnancy: the importance of multidisciplinary management

A woman in her mid-20s presented with bleeding at 18 weeks gestation from a cervical 'polyp'. Histopathology demonstrated a rare small cell neuroendocrine of the cervix. There were only 18 cases of neuroendocrine tumours of the cervix in and around pregnancy in the literature, so the evidence base for treatment was scarce. She was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, using a regimen used for small cell neuroendocrine tumours of the lung, to allow for fetal lung maturity. Disease initially responded, then progressed and she was delivered at 32 weeks by caesarean radical hysterectomy. Adjuvant treatment included further chemotherapy and radical pelvic radiotherapy. The woman and her child are doing well over 6 years after treatment, although the woman has significant side effects of both radical surgery and radiotherapy. This case emphasises the need for excellent communication between multidisciplinary professionals, patients and their families and using external colleagues to help with rare clinical problems.

Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix during pregnancy

Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is a rare histological entity that has a poor prognosis. We report the case of a patient with small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix who underwent a radical hysterectomy during pregnancy. A 33-year-old Japanese woman with genital bleeding was referred at 15 weeks' gestation. A speculum exam revealed a 5.4-cm-dia. mass in the cervix, and a cervical biopsy revealed small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Imaging studies demonstrated a tumor confined to the cervix, swelling of intra-pelvic lymph nodes, and no distant spread of the tumor. She was diagnosed as having small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix, stage IB2, and underwent a radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. She refused any adjuvant therapies, had a systemic relapse 4 months after surgery, and died of the disease 5 months after surgery. Early-stage small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix should be treated with a definitive therapy soon after diagnosis whether the patient is pregnant or not. Saving the mother's life should be the top priority.

Treatment and clinical outcomes of cervical cancer during pregnancy

Background

This study aims to investigate clinicopathological factors associated with survival rate and treatment of patients with cervical cancer during pregnancy (CCP).

Methods

A total of 92 patients diagnosed CCP were retrospectively reviewed. One patient was from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, 5 patients were from Tongji Hospital, and 86 patients were from case reports in the PubMed database from 1961 to 2019. Patients and tumor characteristics were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods were used to analyze the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS).

Results

Most patients (73 cases) were stage I according to the 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) standards. Twelve patients (13.04%) terminated pregnancy once diagnosed. These patients were diagnosed at the mean gestational age (GA) of 11±3 weeks, during early pregnancy. For the rest of the patients (80 cases) who continued pregnancy, the mean GA was 35±2 weeks at delivery. There was a significant difference in survival whether the treatment was performed once diagnosed or not. The 5-year DSS was 75% in adenocarcinoma (AC), 68.5% in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and 43.7% in the rare subtype. Among the 38 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), one patient suffered from spontaneous abortion, and one baby experienced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ex-FAB (French-American-British)-M7 subtype and received bone marrow transplantation. Other delivered newborns showed no abnormality or malformation. Cox multi-factorial analysis demonstrated that tumor size (2 cm) was an independent overall survival predictor for CCP patients (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Tumor size was an independent prognostic factor of survival in CCP patients. Pregnancy has adverse effects on the prognosis of cervical cancer. Personalized treatment is a priority for CCP patients.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix: a systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NECC) is a rare variant of cervical cancer. The prognosis of women with NECC is poor and there is no standardized therapy for this type of malignancy based on controlled trials.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature search of the databases PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify clinical trials describing the management and outcome of women with NECC.

RESULTS

Three thousand five hundred thirty-eight cases of NECC in 112 studies were identified. The pooled proportion of NECC among women with cervical cancer was 2303/163470 (1.41%). Small cell NECC, large cell NECC, and other histological subtypes were identified in 80.4, 12.0, and 7.6% of cases, respectively. Early and late stage disease presentation were evenly distributed with 1463 (50.6%) and 1428 (49.4%) cases, respectively. Tumors expressed synaptophysin (424/538 cases; 79%), neuron-specific enolase (196/285 cases; 69%), chromogranin (323/486 cases; 66%), and CD56 (162/267; 61%). The most common primary treatment was radical surgery combined with chemotherapy either as neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy, described in 42/48 studies. Radiotherapy-based primary treatment schemes in the form of radiotherapy, radiochemotherapy, or radiotherapy with concomitant or followed by chemotherapy were also commonly used (15/48 studies). There is no standard chemotherapy regimen for NECC, but cisplatin/carboplatin and etoposide (EP) was the most commonly used treatment scheme (24/40 studies). Overall, the prognosis of women with NECC was poor with a mean recurrence-free survival of 16 months and a mean overall survival of 40 months. Immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted agents were reported as being active in three case reports.

CONCLUSION

NECC is a rare variant of cervical cancer with a poor prognosis. Multimodality treatment with radical surgery and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide with or without radiotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for early stage disease while chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide or topotecan, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab is appropriate for women with locally advanced or recurrent NECC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors may be beneficial, but controlled evidence for their efficacy is lacking.

Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix in pregnancy: A case report and review of the literature

The occurrence of cervical cancer during pregnancy is extremely rare, particularly small cell carcinoma. Small cell cervical carcinoma (SCCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor with a poor prognosis. This study presents the case of an 18-year-old female with stage IB2 SCCC complicated by pregnancy, who was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient was diagnosed shortly after giving birth, and is the youngest female case to be reported in the world. The patient was treated with cisplatin and etoposide chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Complete remission was achieved following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the patient remains in clinical remission eight months following treatment. Cytological screening, colposcopy and if necessary, biopsy, and selective conization at 14-20 weeks should be considered in the patient evaluation.

Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix in a pregnant patient diagnosed with liquid based cytology and cell block immunocytochemistry

Definitive cytomorphologic diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is possible but can be challenging in routine cervicovaginal cancer screening specimens. Several small series of reported cases of cervical small cell carcinoma have shown this uncommon malignancy to represent fewer than 2% of all invasive cervical cancers. This tumor type is associated with poor prognosis and rapid disease progression and can develop to an advanced stage in the interval between screening visits. Only rare case reports of small cell carcinoma arising in gravid cervices are known. In the current case a 29-year-old, gravida 6, para 2, pregnant (10-week gestation) female presented with postcoital bleeding. A definitive diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the cervix was made possible by liquid based Pap testing with ancillary cell block preparation allowing for immunocytochemical characterization of the lesional cell population.

Labor Dystocia as First Presentation of Pelvic Malignancy

The underlying causes of labor dystocia can be various. Lack of expulsive forces or fetal malpresentation are amongst the most common ones. However, pelvic masses are described as well. Here we describe two cases of labor dystocia as first presentation of pelvic malignancy.

The pathology of extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma

Extrapulmonary small cell carcinomas (EPSCCs) are uncommon malignant neoplasms with a reported incidence of 0.1% to 0.4% in the United States. Since their first description in 1930, they have been seen in nearly every organ system. Like their more common pulmonary counterparts, EPSCCs are thought to arise from a multipotential stem cell. However, there is recent molecular evidence that small cell elements may arise as a late-stage phenomenon in the genetic progression of more organ-typical carcinomas. The morphologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features are similar to those described in pulmonary small cell carcinomas (PSCCs). The differential diagnosis of EPSCC includes PSCC, other neuroendocrine tumors, small round blue cell tumors, metastatic melanoma, lymphoma, and poorly differentiated non-small cell carcinomas. Molecular alterations reported to occur in EPSCCs include abnormalities described in PSCC and changes found in carcinomas more typically encountered in the organ from which they arise. In this article we discuss the pathology of EPSCC with a review of theories of histogenesis, sites of occurrence, diagnostic features, differential diagnosis, molecular alterations, and clinical behavior.

Neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix showing polypoid growth and complicated by pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is an aggressive disease, and it rarely is complicated by pregnancy.

CASE

A polypoid tumor was found in the uterine cervix in a 27-year-old Japanese woman at 27 weeks of gestation. No polyp had been detected at 14 weeks of gestation. The polyp was excised and diagnosed as neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma by histological examination, including Grimelius, neuron-specific enolase, and chromogranin staining. A healthy infant was born by cesarean section at 29 weeks of gestation: this was followed by radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. After surgery, four cycles of combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide were administered, and the patient is disease-free as of 13 months after surgery.

CONCLUSION

When a polypoid lesion is found, especially when it demonstrates rapid growth, it may be necessary to excise and histologically examine the polyp even during pregnancy.

Small cell carcinoma of the cervix complicated by pregnancy

We report the results of treatment in a 26-year old patient with stage IB2 small cell carcinoma of the cervix complicated by pregnancy. A pathological complete remission was achieved following sandwich chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient remains in clinical remission 14 months after presentation.

Neuroendocrine small cell uterine cervix cancer in pregnancy: long-term survival following combined therapy

A 22-year-old woman carrying twin gestations at 30 weeks presented with preterm labor and a prolapsing cervical mass. Following Cesarean section birth, she was treated with multiagent chemotherapy followed by pelvic radiotherapy for a Stage IIA small cell cancer of the uterine cervix. She is without evidence of disease 5.5 years after diagnosis and is the first reported long-term survivor of a small cell cervical carcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy.