title: Isolated vaginal myeloid sarcoma in a 16-year-old girl.
abstract: Involvement of the female genital tract by myeloid sarcoma as the initial presentation is extremely uncommon, especially in the vagina. The lack of specific histologic features and the unusual location can be a diagnostic challenge to both the surgical pathologist and the clinician. The very few reported cases of myeloid sarcoma occurring in the vagina have been exclusively seen in adults. We report a 16-year-old girl who presented with a vaginal mass of 4 weeks duration. The initial clinical impression was a Bartholin cyst vs an abscess. However, because of persistence of the vaginal mass after a full course of antibiotic treatment, a biopsy was performed. Immunohistochemistry supported the diagnosis of myeloid sarcoma. Peripheral blood and bone marrow studies were normal. The patient received 4 cycles of chemotherapy and remained disease free 5 months from therapy completion. The clinical course, diagnostic workup, and differential diagnosis of our patient are discussed. Reported cases of myeloid sarcoma occurring in the vagina are reviewed and summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 78229-3900, USA. polinico2000@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Maria Luisa C
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Policarpio-Nicolas
authors.forename: Philip T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Aune
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis; D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001472:Bartholin's Glands / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D023981:Sarcoma, Myeloid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014625:Vaginal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor