Extrauterine Malignancies Detected on Papanicolaou Smear: the clinical and cytomorphological features of eight patients

Abstract

Abstract Background: Papanicolau smear (Pap) is an effective technique for the diagnosis of cervix cancer. Atypical glandular cells may be revealed in this examination and occasionally may be the first sign of extratuerine malignancy. The 8 cases presented in this study are uncommon cases of previously unknown extrauterine tumors all detected on classical Pap smears. Patients and Method: A retrospective analysis of the clinical database identified eight women with previously undiagnosed extrauterine tumor detected on standard Pap smear. Clinical data were obtained from patient files and microscopic examination was repeated on the material obtained from the cytology archives. Cellblock and cytomorphology examinations were made, and clinical data were reviewed together with histopathology. Results: Pap smear was the first sign of malignancy in all cases. The patients were asymptomatic or had non-specific symptoms. Definitive diagnosis was made after adequate radiological work up and biopsy. All eight cases had similar cytomorphological features of a histologically proven primary tumor. Atypical glandular cell groups were the most remarkable sign in six patients. In the other two patients, cells of lymphatic origin and atypical lymphocytes were detected. Cellblock with immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis in three cases. Conclusion: Pap smear is a worldwide accepted method for cancer screening. Although it has high specificity and sensitivity for cervical cancers, the results of this study highlight that rigorous examination of Pap