title: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the uterine cervix identified on a conventional cervical smear.
abstract: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) most frequently involve the uterus, particularly the uterine corpus and very occasionally the cervix. One case of PEComa identified using a conventional cervical smear has previously been documented. Herein, we present the second such case. The patient was a 51-year-old woman with abnormal genital tract bleeding. Samples collected for conventional cervical smears were submitted for cytopathological examination, which revealed discohesive monotonous tumor cells showing epithelioid morphology, ample cytoplasm that was pale to weakly eosinophilic, and mildly enlarged nuclei. The cytopathological features were well correlated with histopathological findings. Upon immunohistochemistry, the tumor cells were positive for both melanocytic and smooth muscle markers. Based on these findings, PEComa was diagnosed. Subsequently, a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed, revealing that the tumor (28 × 22 × 12 mm) was located at the superficial part of the endocervix. We propose that the cytopathological findings described herein can guide the diagnosis of PEComa, even though this tumor is rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Fujieda Municipal General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koda
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D054973:Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears
keywords: conventional cervical smear; perivascular epithelioid cell tumor; uterine cervix