Abstract
Background: Papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) of the uterine cervix is a rare tumor. The cytologic and pathologic findings of a case of PSCC are reported.
Case report: A 61-year-old woman, G 2 P 1 complained of a bloody discharge lasting for 7 months. Pelvic examination revealed a papillary mass involving the uterine cervix. A cervical smear showed (1) abundant atypical cells in a necrotic background, (2) polygonal cells, (3) round or oval nuclei and hyperchromatic anisonucleotic nuclei, (4) barely visible nucleoli, (5) thick and basophilic cytoplasm, and (6) some cellular clusters with a papillary structure and fibrovascular component. The smear was diagnosed as an invasive squamous cell carcinoma. A cervical biopsy showed a papillary structure with marked cytologic atypia, although stromal invasion was not apparent. In the histological specimen of the extirpated uterus, numerous papillary structures with fibrovascular cores were evident. The cells in the epithelium lining the papillary structure were not mature and had not invaded the stroma. In the areas of deeper invasion, papillary structures were absent.
Conclusion: Cytological findings are useful for detecting invasive PSCC.
