Poor prognosis in patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the cervix

From 1 July 1974 to 31 December 1982, 127 patients with primary carcinoma of the cervix were assessed to determine the prognosis of patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma. Of all patients, 34 are dead of disease for an overall corrected survival rate of 73.2%. The survival of 20 patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma is 20%. Seventy-five percent of the adenosquamous cell patients had stage IB lesions. When patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma were compared with patients with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma, there was a statistically significant decrease in survival. Patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma were relatively young with a mean age of 41.1 years. A normal appearing cervix was noted in 30% of all patients with adenosquamous cell carcinoma. The majority of adenosquamous cell patients (87.5%) dead from cancer had distant metastases. This report emphasizes that, independent of stage, adenosquamous cell cervical carcinoma is an extremely aggressive neoplasm and carries a poor prognosis.