title: Primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the vagina. Marked effect of combination chemotherapy: a case report.
abstract: Primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the vagina is extremely rare and very aggressive. Nineteen patients with this cancer have been reported in the English-language literature to date. We report a 51-year-old woman with this cancer. Punch biopsy specimens of the vaginal tumor were studied. Electron microscopy demonstrated neuroendocrine granules in the cytoplasm. Tumor cells were strongly stained for cytokeratin, neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin A and serotonin. These findings were consistent with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. The patient was treated with combination chemotherapy. The cancer mass completely disappeared after five cycles of the therapy. The patient is still alive without metastasis 41 months after diagnosis. This is the first report of such a remarkable effect of combination chemotherapy on small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the vagina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Japan. mhayashi@lilac.plala.or.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkura
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D014625:Vaginal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*