Papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix: a clinicopathological analysis of 4 cases and a literature review

Abstract

Abstract Objective To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical treatment outcomes of patients with papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix (PSCC). Methods In this study, 4 patients with histologically confirmed papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix were retrospectively investigated. Pap smears, human papillomavirus (HPV) screening, tumor marker status, biopsy analysis, and relevant imaging examinations were conducted for the confirmation of primary diagnosis and recurrence. Patients underwent surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, and survival were the main endpoint. Results The 4 patients were diagnosed with IB1, IB1, IIA, or IIIB disease. Two patients (2/4) presented with recurrence within 18 months after primary therapy. Compared with chemotherapy alone (progression-free survival (PFS): 11 months), radiotherapy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy showed favorable PFS rates (PFS: 20, 36, 13 months in 3 cases), although valid statistical analysis was not feasible because of the small sample size. The 5-year survival rate was 0%, and the 3-year survival rate was 75%. Our data, in agreement with the literature evidence, showed that the number of moderate-risk and high-risk factors in patients diagnosed with PSCC at an early stage was higher than that in patients diagnosed with common adenocarcinoma/squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Conclusion PSCC has a poor clinical prognosis, and compared with chemotherapy alone, radiotherapy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy may lead to improved PFS.