Neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma: case report and literature review / Carcinoma neuroendócrino do colo do útero: relato de caso e revisão da literature

Abstract

Neuroendocrine tumor of the uterine cervix is a rare malignant neoplasm, ranging from 0.5 to 5% of uterine cervix cancers. Most of the cases occur in women younger (average 43 years) than those with the usual histologic types. It may occasionally be found associated with spindle cell carcinoma (SCC) and with adenocarcinoma (AC).The relationship between neuroendocrine tumor and human papillomavirus (HVP), specially the high-risk 16 and 18, is demonstrated in several studies. The diagnosis is definitive through the use of histologic hematoxyline-eosine staining, however identification of chromogranin, synaptophysin and enolase by immunohistochemistry plays an important role in the diagnostic doubt. The high tumor aggressiveness is demonstrated by the high percentage of lymph node impairment and early hematogenic invasion at the moment of diagnosis, 68% and 90%, respectively. Survival is short, with an average of 22 months. Multimodal treatment is the most frequently described form.