Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine corpus: a clinicopathologic study of 4 cases and a review of the literature.

We report the clinicopathologic features of 4 cases of pure pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine corpus with an emphasis on their frequent expression of CD10 and CD56, review the relevant literature, and discuss differential diagnostic considerations. The patients ranged from 51 to 79 years (mean 68 y). All were FIGO stage IIIC to IV at initial surgical staging, and 3 were dead from the disease at an average of 8.6 months follow-up. In addition to the expected findings, other notable morphologic features included tumor giant cells (4/4), osteoclast-like giant cells (1/4), patchy myxoid stroma (4/4), and only infrequent cytoplasmic cross striations (1/4). The tumors in all 4 cases were positive for myogenin, myo-D1, smooth muscle actin, desmin, muscle-specific actin (HHF-35), and CD10; 3 (75%) of 4 cases were positive for calponin and CD56; all cases were negative for cytokeratin 7, synaptophysin, epithelial membrane antigen, placental-like alkaline phosphatase, chromogranin, and a pan-keratin. Twenty-three cases have been reported earlier in the English-language literature between 1969 and 2009. In combination with the current 4, the 27 patients had an age range of 35 to 87 years (mean 66.33 y). Only 1 patient was deemed inoperable; most had staging operations. Following their initial evaluations, 16 (59%) were found to have extrauterine extension of disease. At follow-up, 73% (19/27) were dead from the disease and 19.2% had no evidence of recurrence. Ten (53%) of the 19 deaths occurred within 6.5 months of initial evaluation. Stage at presentation did not have any significant impact on outcome: 73% of the 11 patients with uterus-confined disease at presentation were dead from the disease at follow-up, a rate of disease-associated death that was nearly identical to the 75% in the 16 patients with extrauterine disease at presentation. A wide variety of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies were administered, which did not appear to significantly impact outcomes. These data indicate that pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine corpus is a highly aggressive, rapidly progressive tumor with a high case-fatality rate.

Patients with negative cervical biopsies after papanicolaou test interpretations of "atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion": comparative longitudinal follow-up.

Approximately half of women with a Papanicolaou (pap) test interpretation of "atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion" (ASC-H) will have less than a high-grade dysplasia diagnosed on their follow-up cervical biopsy sample. Herein, we compared the follow-up findings in a group of women with a negative cervical biopsy after a pap test interpretation of ASC-H (study group) with those of a randomly selected control group of women whose pap tests were interpreted as "negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy" during the same period. The diagnoses in every follow-up sample in the control and study groups were tabulated. Patients with previous ASC-H or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion interpretations, and/or high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) diagnoses, were excluded. Both groups were then statistically compared regarding the diagnostic frequencies of each of the Bethesda 2001 categories and CIN grades. Of the 122 patients with ASC-H interpretations and documented histologic follow-up, the first follow-up biopsy was negative for dysplasia in 20 (16.4%). Seventy-six follow-up samples (70 pap tests, 6 biopsies) were obtained from these 20 patients. In the control group of 262 women with pap tests interpreted as "negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy," 641 follow-up samples (629 pap tests, 12 biopsies) were obtained. Patients in the study group were significantly more likely than their control group counterparts to have a follow-up (1) cytologic and/or histologic abnormality (23/76 vs 76/641, respectively; P = .00006), (2) "atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance" (ASC-US) interpretation (13/76 vs 43/641; P = .005), and (3) CIN grade 1 diagnosis (4/76 vs 10/641; P = .05). Approaching statistical significance was the comparatively increased frequency of CIN grade 2 to 3 diagnoses in the study group (2/76 vs 2/641; P = .058). If the analysis is restricted to 1 follow-up sample (the most severe) per patient, patients in the study group were still more likely than those in the control group to have a follow-up cytologic and/or histologic abnormality (12/20 vs 40/262; P = .0002), ASC-US interpretation (6/20 vs 22/262; P = .008), and follow-up CIN grade 2 to 3 diagnosis (2/20 vs 2/262; P = .03). It is concluded that patients whose cervical biopsies are devoid of dysplasia after an ASC-H interpretation still require close surveillance and follow-up because their risk of being diagnosed with follow-up cervical abnormalities is significantly above baseline.

Papanicolaou test interpretations of "atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion" : an investigation of requisite duration and number of colposcopic procedures to a definitive diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia in routine practice.

BACKGROUND: Management guidelines for women with Papanicolaou (Pap) test interpretations of ASC-H (atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion) reflect substantial risk, which ranges from 10% to 68%, of a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) in their follow-up histologic samples. The present study was initiated to determine the number of colposcopic procedures and the time frame that are typically required for a definitive diagnosis of a CIN2+ lesion after a Papanicolaou (Pap) test interpretation of ASC-H in routine practice. METHODS: Clinicopathologic data on consecutive ASC-H interpretations, 97% of which were on liquid-based preparations, were reviewed. The number of biopsies (which was used in this context as a surrogate indicator for the number of colposcopic procedures) as well as the average duration required for a follow-up histologic diagnosis of CIN2+ were determined. RESULTS: Of 500 ASC-H interpretations, 75 were excluded for a variety of reasons and 165 lacked follow-up in our records. The average age and follow-up duration for the remaining 260 patients was 35.6 years and 18.5 months, respectively. CIN2+ was diagnosed in 49 (40%) of the 122 patients with at least 1 histologic follow-up. Of these 49 patients, 72% (35 of 49) were diagnosed on the first follow-up cervical biopsy, 14% (7 of 49) and 8% (4 of 49) were diagnosed on the second and third follow-up biopsies, respectively; in only 6% (3 of 49) was a fourth follow-up biopsy required. Overall, an average of 1.53 biopsies (range, 1-4) was required to attain a definitive diagnosis of CIN2+, and 28% of patients required more than 1 follow-up biopsy. The average period between the index ASC-H interpretations and CIN2+ diagnoses was 5.5 months. The average time to CIN2+ diagnoses by the first follow-up biopsy was 3 months; for diagnoses made on subsequent biopsies, the average additional follow-up duration was 8 months. Of the eventual CIN2+ diagnoses, 84% were rendered within 12 months of their associated index ASC-H interpretations. CONCLUSIONS: 1) A substantial subset-28%-of patients with biopsy-proven CIN2+ after ASC-H interpretations required more than 1 colposcopy for a definitive diagnosis of a high-grade dysplastic lesion. 2) If a CIN2+ lesion is present, the vast majority can be diagnosed in a biopsy performed within 1 year of the ASC-H interpretation.