Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Two Cases of Low-Grade Endometriod Carcinoma Associated with Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Uterus (Dedifferentiated Carcinoma): A Molecular Study

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Dedifferentiated carcinoma (DC) is an uterine neoplasm containing both low-grade endometrioid carcinoma (LGEC) and undifferentiated carcinoma (UC). DC is an aggressive tumour even when the UC component represents only 20% of the entire neoplasm. In this paper, two cases DCs at different stages of development, in 61- and 83-year-old women respectively were reported. In addition, in these uterine malignancies microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) were investigated in order to explain its aggressive behavior, in both components. Case #1 presented metastases at diagnosis, while case #2 was at a lower stage. LGEC component was invasive in case #1 and intramucous in case #2. In both cases, UC components were characterized by a high degree of instability, in accordance of its aggressive behaviour and its architectural heterogeneity. Further studies with more numerous cases are mandatory to confirm these data.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. Silverberg SG, Kurman RJ, Nogales F et al (2003) Epithelial tumors and related lesions. In: Tavassoli FA, Devilee P (eds) Tumors of the breast and female genital organs: World Health Organization classification of tumours. IARC, Lyon, p 227

    Google Scholar 

  2. Altraulsi B, Malpica A, Deavers MT, Bodurka DC, Broddus R, Silva EG (2005) Undifferentiated carcinoma of the endometrium. Am J Surg Pathol 29:1316–1321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Silva EG, Deavers MT, Malpica A (2007) Undifferentiated carcinoma of the endometrium: a review. Pathology 39:134–138

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Silva EG, Deavers MT, Bodurka DC et al (2006) Association of Low-Grade Endometrioid carcinoma of the uterus and ovary with carcinoms: a new type of dedifferentiated carcinoma? Int J Gynecol Pathol 25:52–58

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Boland CR, Thibodeau SN, Hamilton SR et al (1998) A National Cancer Institute Workshop on Microsatellite Instability for cancer detection and familial pre disposition: development of international criteria for the determination of microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer. Cancer Res 58:5248–5257

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Umar A, Boland CR, Terdiman JP et al (2004) Revised Bethesda Guidelines for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome) and microsatellite instability. J Natl Cancer Inst 96:261–268

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. D'Adda T, Bottarelli L, Azzoni C et al (2005) Malignancy-associated X chromosome allelic losses in foregut endocrine neoplasms: further evidence from lung tumors. Mod Pathol 18:795–805

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Hao Y, Xu J, Thun MJ (2009) Cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin 59:225–249

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bokhman JV (1983) Two pathogenetic types of endometrial carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol 15:10–17

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Slomovitz BM, Burke TW, Eifel PJ et al (2003) Uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC): a single institution review of 129 cases. Gynecol Oncol 91:463–469

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sherman ME, Bur ME, Kurman RJ (1995) p53 in endometrial cancer and its putative precursors: evidence for diverse pathways of tumorigenesis. Hum Pathol 26:1268–1274

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Tashiro H, Blazes MS, Wu R et al (1997) Mutations in PTEN are frequent in endometrial carcinoma but rare in other common gynecological malignancies. Cancer Res 57:3935–3940

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Risinger JI, Hayes AK, Berchuck A, Barrett JC (1997) PTEN/MMAC1 mutations in endometrial cancers. Cancer Res 57:4736–4738

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Duggan BD, Felix JC, Muderspach LI, Tourgeman D, Zheng J, Shibata D (1994) Microsatellite instability in sporadic endometrial carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 86:1216–1221

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Mutter GL, Wada H, Faquin WC, Enomoto T (1999) K-ras mutations appear in the premalignant phase of both microsatellite stable and unstable endometrial carcinogenesis. Mol Pathol 52:257–262

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Lagarda H, Catasus L, Arguelles R, Matias-Guiu X, Prat J (2001) K-ras mutations in endometrial carcinomas with microsatellite instability. J Pathol 193:193–199

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Fukuchi T, Sakamoto M, Tsuda H, Maruyama K, Nozawa S, Hirohashi S (1998) Beta-catenin mutation in carcinoma of the uterine endometrium. Cancer Res 58:3526–3528

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Mirabelli-Primdahl L, Gryfe R, Kim H et al (1999) Beta-catenin mutations are specific for colorectal carcinomas with microsatellite instability but occur in endometrial carcinomas irrespective of mutator pathway. Cancer Res 59:3346–3351

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Risinger JI, Berchuck A, Kohler MF, Watson P, Lynch HT, Boyd J (1993) Genetic instability of microsatellites in endometrial carcinoma. Cancer Res 53:5100–5103

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Mutter GL, Boynton KA, Faquin WC, Ruiz RE, Jovanovic AS (1996) Allelotype mapping of unstable microsatellites establishes direct lineage continuity between endometrial precancers and cancer. Cancer Res 56:4483–4486

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Weissenbach J, Gyapay G, Dib C et al (1992) A second-generation linkage map of the human genome. Nature 359:794–801

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Peltomaki P, Lothe RA, Aaltonen LA et al (1993) Microsatellite instability is associated with tumors that characterize the hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma syndrome. Cancer Res 53:5853–5855

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ionov Y, Peinado MA, Malkhosyan S et al (1993) Ubiquitous somatic mutations in simple repeated sequences reveal a new mechanism for colonic carcinogenesis. Nature 363:558–561

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wirtz HC, Muller W, Noguchi T et al (1998) Prognostic value and clinicopathological profile of microsatellite instability in gastric cancer. Clin Cancer Res 4:1749–1754

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Duggan BD, Felix JC, Muderspach LI et al (1994) Microsatellite instability in sporadic endometrial carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 86:1216–1221

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Wagner BJ, Presnell SC (2009) Loss of heterozygosity in basic concepts of molecular pathology. Springer US 2:97–107

    Google Scholar 

  27. Black D, Soslow RA, Levine DA et al (2006) Clinicopathologic significance of defective DNA mismatch repair in endometrial carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 24(11):1745–1753

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Shia J, Black D, Hummer AJ et al (2008) Routinely assessed morphological features correlate with microsatellite instability status in endometrial cancer. Hum Pathol 39(1):116–125

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Authors wish to thank Professor Alex Gillan for the correction of the English language and Mrs Emilia Corradini for technical assistance.

Part of this paper was presented as a poster, during the SIAPEC-IAP Congress 7–9th September 2009 in Florence, Italy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina di Laboratorio, Sezione di Anatomia ed Istologia Patologica, Parma University, Viale A. Gramsci, 14, 43100, Parma, Italy

    Giovanna Giordano, Tiziana D’Adda, Lorena Bottarelli, Mariano Lombardi & Francesca Brigati

  2. Department of Obstetric and Gynecologic Sciences and Neonatology, Parma University, Parma, Italy

    Roberto Berretta & Carla Merisio

Authors
  1. Giovanna Giordano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tiziana D’Adda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lorena Bottarelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mariano Lombardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Francesca Brigati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Roberto Berretta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Carla Merisio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanna Giordano.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Giordano, G., D’Adda, T., Bottarelli, L. et al. Two Cases of Low-Grade Endometriod Carcinoma Associated with Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Uterus (Dedifferentiated Carcinoma): A Molecular Study. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 18, 523–528 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-011-9386-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-011-9386-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation