A review and case report of enigmatic superficial endometrial spread of cancer of the uterine cervix: Need for vigilance in the primary care setting

Ichthyosis uteri: a keratinizing squamous metaplasia of the endometrium with premalignant potential

•Ichthyosis uteri is a rare condition describing extensive endometrial keratinization.•There may be an association with squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium.•Endometrial extension of cervical malignancy may closely resemble ichthyosis.•A hysterectomy should be considered in patients who have completed childbearing.

Superficial Spreading, Microinvasive CIN 3 of Cervix: Report of an Unusual Pattern of Endometrial Involvement

Microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix is labeled by the lower anogenital squamous terminology as superficial invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SISCCA). This currently conforms to the T1a1/FIGO IA1 stage, which is defined with a stromal invasion of less than 3 mm in depth (Darragh et al. in Arch Pathol Lab Med 136(10):1266-1297, 2012). Under rare circumstances, these carcinomas can spread laterally to involve the endometrium, which increases the tumor volume and is a significant predictor of outcome. We present a case report of a 60-year-old post-menopausal woman who presented with persistent bleeding and absence of an overt cervical mass on magnetic resonance imaging. She underwent a Wertheim's hysterectomy, and on pathological examination, the cervix revealed a diffuse CIN 3 (Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia) with focal microinvasion. In addition, there was extensive superficial spread to the entire endometrium along with focal invasion and lymphovascular space invasion. This presentation is extremely rare, with less than 50 cases reported worldwide (Bagde et al. in J Fam Med Prim Care 10(9):3505, 2021).

Endometrial squamous cell carcinoma originating from the cervix: A case report

BACKGROUND

Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common type of cervical carcinoma and is generally derived from a precancerous stage called cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Usually, the cancer metastasizes through lymphatic or hematogenous dissemination, but rarely spreads upward into the uterus. Here, we report a case of cervical HSIL extending into the endometrium and finally progressing to SCC in the uterine cavity.

CASE SUMMARY

A 57-year-old postmenopausal woman visited our department and requested a routine cervical check-up. Four years ago, she had undergone a cervical loop electrosurgical excision procedure because of HSIL found during the gynecological examination, and she had not been checked again since. This time, a relapse of the cervical HSIL was diagnosed along with uterine pyometra and endometrial polyps. After 2 wk of antibiotic treatment, a laparoscopic hysterectomy was performed, and the final pathological examination revealed that the cervical HSIL had spread directly upward into the uterine cavity, gradually developing into cervical SCC in the endometrium.

CONCLUSION

Cervical HSIL/SCC can directly spread upward into the uterus with the most common symptoms of pyometra and cervical stenosis. More attention should be given to the early detection and prevention of this disease.

Significance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Combining with Detection of Serum HE4, TSGF, and CD105 Levels in Diagnosis and Treatment of Moderate to Advanced Cervical Cancer

Objective. To explore the significance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combining with detection of serum HE4, TSGF, and CD105 levels in diagnosis and treatment of moderate to advanced cervical cancer. Methods. By means of retrospective study, 50 patients diagnosed with moderate to advanced cervical cancer by cervix biopsy pathology examination in our hospital from October 2018 to October 2019 were selected as the study group, and another 50 healthy individuals who did not have cervical cancer after routine gynecological examination and conventional ultrasound examination in the same period were selected as the control group. At the time of enrollment and 3 months after treatment, all study subjects received MRI examination and serological examination, and their HE4 and TSGF levels were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and chromatography method, respectively, and additionally, the immunohistochemistry SP method was adopted for patients in the study group to measure the microvessel density (MVD) marked by CD105. The relationship between MRI staging and FIGO staging was assessed, the efficacy of combining MRI with detection of serum HE4, TSGF, and CD105 levels in diagnosing moderate to advanced cervical cancer was calculated by plotting the ROC curve, and the imaging changes and serological changes of tumor tissue before and after treatment were analyzed. Results. There were 3 of 4 patients in stage IIa and 14 of 15 patients in stage IIIb presenting MRI findings compatible with clinical examinations; 26 patients in stage IIb and 5 patients in stage IVb presenting MRI findings totally compatible with clinical examination. Before treatment, MRI finding of cervical lesion was irregular soft tissue mass, T1WI appeared isointensity or hyperintensity, and obvious lesion enhancement could be seen by enhanced scan. T2WI appeared mixed signal intensity or hyperintensity, with necrotic tissue and fat suppression being hyperintensity. After treatment, lesions shrunk, originally abnormal signals in 5 patients disappeared, and T1WI and T2WI signals in 45 patients presented no difference compared to before treatment. After T1WI enhancement, mild enhancement could be seen in 41 cases and no enhancement in 4 cases. The CD105-MVD of the study group was (68.98 ± 5.23); before and after treatment, the differences in HE4 and TSGF levels between the study group and the control group were significant ( $P<0.001$ ). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy rate of diagnosis of MRI diagnosis were respectively 82.0% (41/50), 90.0% (45/50), and 86.0% (86/100), and for the diagnosis combining with serum HE4, TSGF, and CD105 levels, they were 96.0% (48/50), 96.0% (48/50), and 96.0% (96/100), respectively, and AUC (95% CI) = 0.960 (0.908–1.000). Conclusion. MRI staging is objective and accurate and has higher sensitivity when combined with serum HE4, TSGF, and CD105 levels in diagnosing moderate to advanced cervical cancer. All MRI, HE4, and TSGF can reflect the treatment effect of patients and are of great importance to efficacy assessment.