Background The accurate pathologic diagnosis and subtyping of high-grade endometrial carcinoma are often problematic, due to its atypical and overlapping histopathological features.
Methods Three pathologists reviewed 21 surgically resected cases of advancedstage endometrial carcinoma. The primary diagnosis was based only on hematoxylin and eosin stained slides. When a discrepancy arose, a secondary diagnosis was made by additional review of immunohistochemical (IHC) stains. Finally, three pathologists discussed all cases and rendered a consensus diagnosis.
Results The primary diagnoses were identical in 13/21 cases (62%). The secondary diagnosis based on the addition of IHC results was concordant in four of eight discrepant cases. Among four cases with discrepancies occurring in this step, two cases subsequently reached a consensus diagnosis after a thorough discussion between three reviewers. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) study was performed in two cases in which it was difficult to distinguish between serous carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma. Based on the sequencing results, a final diagnosis of serous carcinoma was rendered. The overall kappa for concordance between the original and consensus diagnosis was 0.566 (moderate agreement).
Conclusions We investigated stepwise changes in interobserver diagnostic reproducibility in advanced-stage endometrial carcinoma. We demonstrated the utility of IHC and NGS study results in the histopathological diagnosis of advanced-stage endometrial carcinoma.
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BACKGROUND Controversy still remains concerning the criteria for the categorization of uterine smooth muscle tumors by conventional histologic examination. Various ancillary techniques have been used to improve diagnostic accuracy. METHODS Immunohistochemical study of MIB-1 and p53 was performed on 10 usual leiomyomas (UL), 13 cellular leiomyomas (CL), 5 bizarre leiomyomas (BL), 2 cases of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IL), 5 smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) and 8 leiomyosarcomas (LMS), to investigate the diagnostic value of MIB-1 and p53 in uterine smooth muscle tumors. RESULTS The MIB-1 labelling index was low in ULs and their variants (mean 5.67+/-5.53), but it was increased in STUMPs (17.67+/-6.51) and markedly increased in LMSs (35.71+/-11.35). In ULs and their variants, no immunostaining for p53 was noted except in one case of BL, while 2 (40%) of 5 STUMPs and 3 (38%) of 8 LMSs showed positive reactions for p53. There were significant differences among leiomyoma, STUMP and LMS in the MIB-1 labelling index and p53 expression. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that both abnormal expressions of p53 and a high MIB-1 labelling index are frequently associated with leiomyosarcoma. Our data also indicate that the classification system of Kempson and Hendrickson is well correlated with the MIB-1 labelling index.
Hydropic degeneration is a frequent degenerative change in otherwise typical uterine leiomyomas. Very rarely, however, a significant amount of edema fluid accumulates around the fascicles of neoplastic smooth muscle bundles and forms the characteristic multinodular growth pattern that is called perinodular hydropic degeneration of leiomyoma (PHDL). The gross findings, showing a vague worm-like appearance and very rarely having an extrauterine extension, and the microscopic features, showing perinodular retraction artifacts forming pseudovascular spaces, make it difficult to differentiate the tumor from intravenous leiomyomatosis or myxoid leiomyosarcoma. We described two cases of leiomyomas showing perinodular hydropic degeneration (PHD), a condition that has rarely been described in English literature, and discussed the mechanism of forming "extrauterine extension" or cotyledonoid features. One of our cases showed the typical features of cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma, the other showed those of intramural dissecting leiomyoma. An awareness of the gross and microscopic findings of PHDL is important not to overdiagnose a benign smooth muscle neoplasm as a more aggressive type of tumor. It is thought that intramural dissecting leiomyoma, cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma, and PHDL are not distinct, but closely related subtypes showing different phases of evolutionary changes.
Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a mesenchymal neoplasm that usually occurs as a primary tumor of the uterine corpus, but rarely arises in other sites, such as the ovary, the pelvic cavity, mesentery, omentum, and serosal or intramural portions of the large intestine. We present a case in which multiple nodules of ESS involving the taenia coli of the ascending colon were accompanied by grossly and radiologically unrecognized small, endometrial stromal lesions (less than 0.5 cm in the greatest dimension) with only focal marginal irregularities in the subsequent hysterectomy specimen. Whether this small sized endometrial stromal tumor is an incidentally associated endometrial stromal nodule (ESN) or a small sized, low grade ESS that was preceded by metastatic lesion is debatable. However, endometrial stromal tumors with tongue-like protrusions and associated fibroblastic stromal reaction around the tumor strongly favored these nodules being the small uterine ESS mimicking ESN. We propose that meticulous search for the detection of uterine ESS is mandatory before making a diagnosis of primary extrauterine ESS even in cases having a grossly or radiologically normal uterus and that the extent of focal irregularities of ESN should be more clearly defined for the correct diagnosis of ESS and ESN.