Squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix with osteoclast-like giant cells

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common tumor of the uterine cervix, usually related to human papillo-mavirus (HPV). While osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs) have been reported to be associated with tumors at various locations, to the best of our knowledge, only six cases have been reported in the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Castillo, Ana, Perelló-Fabregat, Cecilia, García-Gómez, Javier, Sanz, Carolina|||0009-0001-9228-755X, Valdivieso, Lorena|||0000-0003-4991-4543, Jimeno, Mireya
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:317420
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/317420
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3892/mco.2024.2754
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:OGCs
SCC with OGCs
SCC of uterine cervix
Case report
Description
Summary:Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common tumor of the uterine cervix, usually related to human papillo-mavirus (HPV). While osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs) have been reported to be associated with tumors at various locations, to the best of our knowledge, only six cases have been reported in the cervix to date. The present study describes the case of a 38-year-old woman with a medical history of ectopic pregnancy and vaginal childbirth, who presented with coitorrhagia. On physical examination, a mass of ~4 cm was found in the uterine cervix. A biopsy of this lesion revealed infiltrating SCC, leading to a radical hysterectomy 2 months later. The surgical specimen displayed an exophytic lesion with a maximum diameter of 3.5 cm confined to the uterine cervix, histologically consistent with an infiltrating non-keratinizing SCC. There was a prominent intra- and peri-tumoral chronic inflammatory reaction, and a high number of OGCs. Immunohistochemically, tumoral cells were positive for cytokeratin βE12, epithelial membrane antigen, p40, p63 and p16, and negative for CD68, vimentin and CD163. OGCs exhibited an inverted expression pattern, with positivity only for histiocytic markers. PCR for HPV detection revealed a HPV 34 genotype (probable high oncogenic risk). This profile suggests the non-neoplastic nature of OGCs, i.e. they should be considered as part of the immune response to the tumor. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the seventh instance of SCC with OGCs in the uterine cervix. Similar findings in other organs, such as the breast, pancreas or stomach, have been associated with a favorable prognosis. While two of the three reported cases with poor outcomes in the uterine cervix had an associated sarcomatoid component, the limited number of cases described to date in this location does not yet allow for an accurate prediction of behavior.