Advanced small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterus suspected from intraoperative cytology

―A case report―

Abstract

Background : We report a case of small cell neuroendocrine cell carcinoma (SCNEC) of the uterine corpus in which intraoperative cytology contributed to the diagnosis.

Case : Imaging findings suggested uterine cancer ; however, preoperative histological diagnosis could not be made because of cervical stenosis. Intraoperative frozen section diagnosis was malignant spindle-cell tumor, based on the cell shape and presence of mitotic figures, whereas intraoperative ascites and stamp cytology suggested neuroendocrine carcinoma, based on the salt-and-pepper pattern of the nuclear chromatin with cell-to-cell adhesion. On the basis of the histological and immunohistological findings, we made the final diagnosis of SCNEC.

Conclusion : Herein, we describe the cytologic features of SCNEC and its differential diagnosis.