Endocervical carcinoma: a study of 23 patients with clinical-pathological correlation

Twenty-three patients with endocervical carcinomas diagnosed at the Mount Sinai Medical Center during the last 5 years were reviewed (clinical history and histologic material). The tumors were endocervical-type adenocarcinomas, adenosquamous carcinoma, mucinous (colloid), papillary, and clear cell carcinomas. Eight associated carcinomas in situ were found. Younger patients tended to have more adenosquamous carcinomas, perhaps related to the frequency of squamous metaplasia in sexually active women. Twenty-two out of twenty-three patients were multiparous, many of them grand multiparas. In two patients the tumor followed parturition, and in two patients it was found in the cervical stump. No association with oral contraceptives was found. Multiparous women seem to be at increased risk for this malignancy. The early detection of endocervical carcinoma is based on the recognition of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma in situ in the biopsy material. This is of particular significance in the endocervical cancer because its location often prevents early detection.