giovanna giordano

Abstract: Although the majority of diagnoses in gynecological pathology are established on the examination of routine hematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections, additional tests are occasionally required to render an accurate diagnosis. Immunohistochemistry is one such ancillary stain widely used to provide additional diagnostic information in problematic cases. The current review considers immunohistochemical data which could prove useful for achieving an accurate diagnosis in the more common cases of diagnostic difficulty in uterine pathology. In addition, differential diagnostic problems and the relevant immunohistochemical stains for very rare neoplasms of the uterus are also considered. Although the current review demonstrates that immunohistochemistry is a useful ancillary technique for making an accurate diagnosis, the data provided by the clinical history, extensive sampling, and good histology are equally important regarding several diagnostic difficulties. Moreover, in many instances, for an accurate diagnosis, immunohistochemical analysis with a panel of markers is more useful than a study with a single antibody.

Abstract: This report analyses the clinicopathologic features of three metastatic extragenital neoplasms to the cervix. These examples of metastatic extragenital malignancies to the cervix are cutaneous malignant melanoma, colorectal carcinoma, and breast carcinoma. The diagnosis of these metastatic malignancies was suspected on a historical basis. The value of Pap smears is limited on the other hand, since for a correct diagnosis in all our cases, this examination required corroboration by histological and immunohistochemical analysis. In all these examples of extragenital metastatic neoplasms, as in other cases reported in literature, the patients had undergone cervical smear because of vaginal bleeding, even if Pap smear is considered a questionable maneuver in vaginal bleeding. Accordingly, our article reveals that a great deal of rigorous screening, precise morphological analysis, and plentiful clinical data are mandatory in approaching diagnoses of extracervical malignancies. However, this study did demonstrate that cytology does not alter patient management or outcome. In effect, in accordance with other studies, our cases of metastatic extragenital neoplasms to the uterus have poor prognosis Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.