Saber M, Gevorgyan E, Baba Y, et al. Adenocarcinoma of the cervix. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 18 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-17841
Cervical adenocarcinoma is less common than squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the cervix, accounting for ~12.5% of all cervical cancer. Their proportionate prevalence is thought to be increasing and this is thought to be due to being less readily detected by exfoliative cytology obtained with the Papanicolaou test 2-3.
Pathology
As with squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinoma type also generally tend to arise from the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ). They may arise from a precursor lesion, cervical adenocarcinoma in situ, and are almost always associated with HPV 18 5.
Risk factors
Aside from smoking, cervical adenocarcinoma has the same risk factors as cervical SCC (see: cervical carcinoma for further details of risk factors) 6.
Classification
There are several subtypes that fall under this category and include:
Adenocarcinomas in general (compared with squamous cell counterparts) are thought to generally give higher rates of thoracic and adrenal metastatic disease 1.
2. Okamoto Y, Tanaka YO, Nishida M et-al. MR imaging of the uterine cervix: imaging-pathologic correlation. Radiographics. 23 (2): 425-45. doi:10.1148/rg.232025065 - Pubmed citation
3. Kaur H, Silverman PM, Iyer RB et-al. Diagnosis, staging, and surveillance of cervical carcinoma. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2003;180 (6): 1621-31. AJR Am J Roentgenol (full text) - Pubmed citation
4. Ronnett BM, Yemelyanova AV, Vang R et-al. Endocervical adenocarcinomas with ovarian metastases: analysis of 29 cases with emphasis on minimally invasive cervical tumors and the ability of the metastases to simulate primary ovarian neoplasms. Am. J. Surg. Pathol. 2008;32 (12): 1835-53. doi:10.1097/PAS.0b013e3181758831 - Pubmed citation
5. Colombo N, Carinelli S, Colombo A et-al. Cervical cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann. Oncol. 2012;23 Suppl 7 (suppl 7): vii27-32. doi:10.1093/annonc/mds268 - Pubmed citation
6. Berrington de González A, Sweetland S, Green J. Comparison of risk factors for squamous cell and adenocarcinomas of the cervix: a meta-analysis. Br. J. Cancer. 2004;90 (9): 1787-91. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6601764 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
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