Mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix

Mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix is an extremely rare histological subtype of cervical cancer. It falls under the sub group of adenocarcinoma of the cervix. This is a slightly confusing entity since some authors have used this term as synonymous with clear cell carcinoma of the cervix ⁶.

Epidemiology

Mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix are thought to represent approximately 3% of cervical adenocarcinomas ⁵. Only a handful of publications are found on this entity with no radiology publications on this entity at the time of writing (2012).

Associations

Mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix is one of the few subtypes that are not associated with prior HPV infection ⁴.

Pathology

They are considered to arise from remnants of the mesonephric (Wolffian) ducts, specifically the Gartner’s duct. These duct remnants are usually located in the muscular wall of the cervix, meaning that mesonephric adenocarcinoma is more likely to localizes to within the cervix wall than other types of adenocarcinoma ⁵.

They usually have relatively low grade morphology, in part recapitulating the duct structures they are thought to arise from; they are composed of small, compact ducts/gland structures, lined by variably (but usually mildly) atypical, cuboidal to columnar epithelium, with ducts containing dense eosinophilic secretions. 

Mesonephric adenocarcinoma is usually EMA+, calretinin+, vimentin+, CD10+, and ER/PR hormone receptor -ve ⁷.

See also

• WHO histological classification of tumors of the uterine cervix