Endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma with psammoma bodies

Since the wide acceptance of serous carcinoma as a distinct subtype of endometrial carcinoma, almost all endometrial carcinomas with psammoma bodies have been classified as such. We describe eight cases of endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma with psammoma bodies and discuss their clinicopathologic features. The patients ranged in age from 37 to 79 years. Psammoma bodies were present in the curettage material in three and in the hysterectomy specimens in all cases. The tumors were well to moderately differentiated with at least focal squamous metaplasia. Four of eight cases also showed a focal villoglandular architecture. Inflammation and necrosis were present in all cases, and four had features of pyometra. Deep myometrial invasion was present in six cases. Diffuse lymphatic invasion was present in six, and one showed perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate in the absence of myometrial invasion. The tumors metastasized to lymph nodes in four of eight cases. One case showed intranodal psammoma bodies in the absence of endosalpingiosis or tumor. Intra-abdominal recurrence was present in only one case and was endometrioid with rare psammoma bodies. All patients are alive, six with no evidence of disease, one with stable periaortic lymphadenopathy, and one with progressive disease. This report suggests that endometrioid endometrial carcinoma may rarely be associated with psammoma bodies, the formation of which is most likely due to inflammation and necrosis. It also suggests that endometrioid carcinoma with psammoma bodies has a higher surgical stage and is more likely to have lymphatic invasion and lymph-node metastases and hence require surgical staging. The pattern of spread appears to be different from uterine papillary serous carcinoma, and the rate of survival is similar to stage-matched endometrioid carcinoma without psammoma bodies.