Pulmonary microvascular metastases in cervical carcinoma

Abstract

Pulmonary microvascular tumor embolism (PMTE), pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM), and lymphangitis carcinomatosis (LC) have an intricate pathophysiology and usually occur with cancers of breast, stomach, and lung. Microvascular pulmonary metastases attributable to cervical cancer are a rarity. Clinical presentation and autopsy findings of patients with microvascular pulmonary metastases in cervical cancers were studied with a review of literature. Four patients (mean age of 55.5 years) with carcinoma cervix showed microvascular metastases. Three of whom presented with respiratory symptoms, and the fourth case was unresponsive on presentation. Each patient succumbed to their illness shortly after admission. Autopsy examination performed on each patient depicted varying combination of PMTE, PTTM, and LC, all with squamous histology. This case series highlights the rare association of carcinoma cervix with the aforementioned microvascular phenomena. Besides, it underscores the sequential mechanism of occurrence of microvascular pulmonary metastasis and the associated guarded prognosis.