Two cases of glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Abstract

BackgroundI: Glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix has been classically regarded as a poorly differentiated adenosquamous carcinoma, comprising 1-2% of all cervical cancers. The cytologic diagnosis for this tumor has been considered difficult.
Cases: Two patients with glassy cell carcinoma were presented. Both patients complained of vaginal bleeding. One patient was classified as stage I b, and the other IIb. With respect to cytologic findings, the presence of adenocarcinoma or glassy cell carcinoma was suspected in one patient, whereas the cytologic diagnosis of the other case was glassy cell carcinoma or clear cell carcinoma. Both patients underwent a radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy and currently have no evidence of disease.
Conclusion: The cytologic characterisics of glassy cell carcinoma were as follows. 1. The cytoplasm is stained faintly blue and exhibits so-called ground-glass appearance with distinct cytoplasmic borders. 2. The nuclei are large in size and oval or round in shape, the nuclear membrane is slightly thin, and the chromatin is usually granular. 3. Few large nucleoli are noted.