Skip to main content

Uterine Epithelial Neoplasia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Practical Gynecologic Pathology

Part of the book series: Practical Anatomic Pathology ((PAP))

  • 901 Accesses

Abstract

Nonneoplastic lesions of the endometrium encompass a broad spectrum of epithelial alternations ranging from metaplasia, hormonal related changes, inflammatory processes, reparative conditions, endometrial polyps, and gestational alterations. Many of these conditions can mimic various malignant or premalignancy lesions of the endometrium, particularly when present in a small biopsy or curettage specimen. Endometrial hyperplasia and atypical hyperplasia are preneoplastic conditions that precede the most common endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Serous and clear cell carcinomas are high-grade carcinomas by definition and account for about 10–15% of endometrial malignancy. Other histological types are rare, including high neuroendocrine carcinomas, undifferentiated carcinomas, dedifferentiated carcinoma, and mixed carcinomas. Molecular classification of endometrial cancers may provide added diagnostic and prognostic information.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

CHEC:

Endometrioid adenocarcinoma with cords and hyalinized stroma

EIN:

Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia

HPV:

Human papillomavirus

LCNEC:

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma

MELF:

Microcystic, elongated, and fragmented invasion

MMR:

DNA mismatch repair

MSI:

Microsatellite instability

POLE:

DNA polymerase epsilon

SCNEC:

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma

TCGA:

The Cancer Genome Atlas program

WHO:

World Health Organization

References

  1. Kurman RJ, Kaminski PF, Norris HJ. The behavior of endometrial hyperplasia. A long-term study of “untreated” hyperplasia in 170 patients. Cancer. 1985;56(2):403–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Baak JP, Mutter GL, Robboy S, et al. The molecular genetics and morphometry-based endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia classification system predicts disease progression in endometrial hyperplasia more accurately than the 1994 World Health Organization classification system. Cancer. 2005;103(11):2304–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Monte NM, Webster KA, Neuberg D, Dressler GR, Mutter GL. Joint loss of PAX2 and PTEN expression in endometrial precancers and cancer. Cancer Res. 2010;70(15):6225–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Mutter GL, Baak JP, Crum CP, et al. Endometrial precancer diagnosis by histopathology, clonal analysis, and computerized morphometry. J Pathol. 2000;190(4):462–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Owings RA, Quick CM. Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014;138(4):484–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Deligdisch L. Hormonal pathology of the endometrium. Mod Pathol. 2000;13(3):285–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Mentrikoski MJ, Shah AA, Hanley KZ, Atkins KA. Assessing endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma treated with progestin therapy. Am J Clin Pathol. 2012;138(4):524–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Wheeler DT, Bristow RE, Kurman RJ. Histologic alterations in endometrial hyperplasia and well-differentiated carcinoma treated with progestins. Am J Surg Pathol. 2007;31(7):988–98.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Crum CP, Hornstein MD, Nucci MR, Mutter GL. Hertig and beyond: a systematic and practical approach to the endometrial biopsy. Adv Anat Pathol. 2003;10(6):301–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hendrickson MR, Kempson RL. Endometrial epithelial metaplasias: proliferations frequently misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Report of 89 cases and proposed classification. Am J Surg Pathol. 1980;4(6):525–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. McCluggage WG. My approach to the interpretation of endometrial biopsies and curettings. J Clin Pathol. 2006;59(8):801–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Nicolae A, Preda O, Nogales FF. Endometrial metaplasias and reactive changes: a spectrum of altered differentiation. J Clin Pathol. 2011;64(2):97–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kurman RJE, Ellenson LH, Ronnett BM. Blaustein’s pathology of the female genital tract. 6th ed. New York: Springer; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Tambouret R, Clement PB, Young RH. Endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma with a deceptive pattern of spread to the uterine cervix: a manifestation of stage IIb endometrial carcinoma liable to be misinterpreted as an independent carcinoma or a benign lesion. Am J Surg Pathol. 2003;27(8):1080–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Kitahara S, Walsh C, Frumovitz M, Malpica A, Silva EG. Vascular pseudoinvasion in laparoscopic hysterectomy specimens for endometrial carcinoma: a grossing artifact? Am J Surg Pathol. 2009;33(2):298–303.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Murray SK, Clement PB, Young RH. Endometrioid carcinomas of the uterine corpus with sex cord-like formations, hyalinization, and other unusual morphologic features: a report of 31 cases of a neoplasm that may be confused with carcinosarcoma and other uterine neoplasms. Am J Surg Pathol. 2005;29(2):157–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Young RH, Scully RE. Uterine carcinomas simulating microglandular hyperplasia. A report of six cases. Am J Surg Pathol. 1992;16(11):1092–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Tambouret R, Bell DA, Young RH. Microcystic endocervical adenocarcinomas: a report of eight cases. Am J Surg Pathol. 2000;24(3):369–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Silva EG, Deavers MT, Bodurka DC, Malpica A. Association of low-grade endometrioid carcinoma of the uterus and ovary with undifferentiated carcinoma: a new type of dedifferentiated carcinoma? Int J Gynecol Pathol. 2006;25(1):52–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Espinosa I, Lee CH, D’Angelo E, Palacios J, Prat J. Undifferentiated and dedifferentiated endometrial carcinomas with POLE exonuclease domain mutations have a favorable prognosis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2017;41(8):1121–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Wheeler DT, Bell KA, Kurman RJ, Sherman ME. Minimal uterine serous carcinoma: diagnosis and clinicopathologic correlation. Am J Surg Pathol. 2000;24(6):797–806.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Hui P, Kelly M, O'Malley DM, Tavassoli F, Schwartz PE. Minimal uterine serous carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of 40 cases. Mod Pathol. 2005;18(1):75–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Soslow RA, Pirog E, Isacson C. Endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma with associated peritoneal carcinomatosis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2000;24(5):726–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Baergen RN, Warren CD, Isacson C, Ellenson LH. Early uterine serous carcinoma: clonal origin of extrauterine disease. Int J Gynecol Pathol. 2001;20(3):214–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Goldstein NS, Uzieblo A. WT1 immunoreactivity in uterine papillary serous carcinomas is different from ovarian serous carcinomas. Am J Clin Pathol. 2002;117(4):541–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Yan Z, Hui P. Minimal uterine serous carcinoma with extrauterine tumor of identical morphology: an immunohistochemical study of 13 cases. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2010;18(1):75–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Quddus MR, Sung CJ, Zhang C, Lawrence WD. Minor serous and clear cell components adversely affect prognosis in “mixed-type” endometrial carcinomas: a clinicopathologic study of 36 stage-I cases. Reprod Sci. 2010;17(7):673–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Kurman RCM, Herrington CS, Young R. WHO classification of tumours of female reproductive organs. 4th ed. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Misumi T, Suzuki T, Tazawa H, et al. A case of advanced gastric cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis treated with conversion surgery after S-1 plus oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2018;45(13):2150–2.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. McCarthy WA, Makhijani R, Miller K, et al. Gastric-type endometrial adenocarcinoma: report of two cases in patients from the United States. Int J Surg Pathol. 2018;26(4):377–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. van Hoeven KH, Hudock JA, Woodruff JM, Suhrland MJ. Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium. Int J Gynecol Pathol. 1995;14(1):21–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Pocrnich CE, Ramalingam P, Euscher ED, Malpica A. Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium: a clinicopathologic study of 25 cases. Am J Surg Pathol. 2016;40(5):577–86.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Buza N. HER2 testing in endometrial serous carcinoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2020. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32649220

    Google Scholar 

  34. Buza N, English DP, Santin AD, Hui P. Toward standard HER2 testing of endometrial serous carcinoma: 4-year experience at a large academic center and recommendations for clinical practice. Mod Pathol. 2013;26(12):1605–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Buza N, Hui P. Marked heterogeneity of HER2/NEU gene amplification in endometrial serous carcinoma. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2013;52(12):1178–86.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Diaz-Padilla I, Romero N, Amir E, et al. Mismatch repair status and clinical outcome in endometrial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2013;88(1):154–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Batte BA, Bruegl AS, Daniels MS, et al. Consequences of universal MSI/IHC in screening ENDOMETRIAL cancer patients for Lynch syndrome. Gynecol Oncol. 2014;134(2):319–25.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Mills AM, Liou S, Ford JM, et al. Lynch syndrome screening should be considered for all patients with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014;38(11):1501–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Buza N, Ziai J, Hui P. Mismatch repair deficiency testing in clinical practice. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2016;16(5):591–604.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, Kandoth C, Schultz N, et al. Integrated genomic characterization of endometrial carcinoma. Nature. 2013;497(7447):67–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Bosse T, Nout RA, McAlpine JN, et al. Molecular classification of grade 3 endometrioid endometrial cancers identifies distinct prognostic subgroups. Am J Surg Pathol. 2018;42(5):561–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pei Hui .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hui, P., Flynn, C., Quddus, M.R. (2021). Uterine Epithelial Neoplasia. In: Wei, JJ., Hui, P. (eds) Practical Gynecologic Pathology. Practical Anatomic Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68608-6_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68608-6_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-68607-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-68608-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics