title: Difficulties in diagnosing unusual spread of cervical carcinoma.
abstract: A case involving unusual spread of cervical carcinoma in a 66-year-old white woman who remained relatively asymptomatic for 26 years after radiation therapy for stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma is presented. Despite an extensive clinical work-up, diagnosis was not made until a large retroperitoneal tumor mass was discovered at necropsy. The subtle clues of occult malignancy are discussed and a mechanism for the unusual spread of the cervical carcinoma is presented.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*