Glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Glassy cell carcinoma (GCC) of the uterine cervix is a rare and highly malignant tumor, accounting for only 1%-2% of all cervical carcinomas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical findings, treatment, and outcome of patients with cervical GCC in the south of Israel.

Data from the files of 5 patients with cervical GCC who were managed at the Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel, between January 1961 and June 1999 were evaluated.

Age at diagnosis ranged from 32 to 84 years, with 1 patient pregnant at the time of diagnosis. Vaginal bleeding was the prevailing presenting symptom. The cervical lesion was exophytic in 4 patients and endophytic ("barrel-shaped") in 1 patient. Mean tumor size was 3.9 cm. Three patients with stage IB(1) disease had radical hysterectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection followed by either external pelvic radiotherapy or brachytherapy or both. All 3 patients were alive without disease 4, 12, and 18 months after initial diagnosis, respectively. One patient with stage IIIB disease had external pelvic radiotherapy alone and died of disease 12 months after initial diagnosis. One patient with stage IVB disease refused treatment and died of disease 3 months after initial diagnosis.

Cervical GCC is a rare variant of cervical cancer with distinct histologic features and an alleged aggressive clinical behavior. For early-stage disease, the treatment of choice seems to be radical surgery followed by chemoradiotherapy.