[Botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma of the cervix. Clinico-pathologic study of a case]

The botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma of the cervix is a rare tumour occurring in young woman or during genital activity. It mainly causes vaginal bleeding or appears as a polypoid grape-like mass with a gelatinous cut-surface. The diagnosis is based on the presence of a submucosal cambium layer and a rhabdomyoblastic differentiation, corresponding to an intracytoplasmic double cross-striation. Metaplastic cartilaginous islands are sometimes observed. The immunostaining ensures the muscular origin of the tumour, characterized by the expression of actin and desmin. Apart from mullerian adenosarcomas, the main differential diagnosis is represented by the benign polypoid formations of the cervix: the genital rhabdomyoma and the fibroblastic lesion, called fibro-epithelial polyp with atypical stroma. The treatment actually includes both chemotherapy and surgery which is often limited to a conization.