Müllerian adenosarcoma of the uterine cervix with sarcomatous overgrowth: A case report of aggressive disease in a young patient

Introduction: Müllerian adenosarcoma of the cervix with sarcomatous overgrowth and lymphovascular invasion is a rare and aggressive disease. We report a case of a young patient with Müllerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth in the uterine cervix and pelvic lymph node involvement. The patient received radical surgery but not adjuvant treatment, and the disease was aggressive with rapid relapse. Presentation of case: A 39-year-old woman was diagnosed with Müllerian adenosarcoma of the cervix with sarcomatous overgrowth, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB2. She underwent abdominal radical hysterectomy and resection of the left external iliac lymph nodes for suspected metastatic involvement detected during surgical exploration but undetected via imaging. She refused adjuvant treatment, and the disease recurred 8 months after primary oncologic surgery, with rapid local, regional, and bone relapse. Discussion: Our report suggests that sarcomatous overgrowth, a high mitotic index, a rhabdomyoblastic component, and lymphovascular compromise are risk factors for aggressive recurrence. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) was used to identify relapse locations in addition to those detected via clinical examination of the vaginal vault. However, whether PET-CT is indicated for the initial detection of lymph node and bone metastases in FIGO stage IB tumors with surgical indication is unclear. Conclusion: A young woman with Müllerian adenosarcoma of the cervix with sarcomatous overgrowth presenting the risk factors for its recurrence experienced a rapid relapse after receiving radical surgery but not adjuvant therapy. Control of this aggressive disease via sequential radiotherapy and chemotherapy are recommended

Endometriosis mimicking glandular atypia in a cervical cytology

Endometriosis involving the uterine cervix is a rare condition that can lead to diagnostic errors in the interpretation of Pap smear. We report the case of a 41-year-old patient in whom the initial Pap smear revealed three-dimensional clusters of glandular cells with elongated nuclei, occasional mitosis, and atypia, which was interpreted as atypical glandular cells, not otherwise specified (NOS). The patient was taken to colposcopy and endocervical biopsy. Colposcopy was normal and the biopsy presented glands with elongated nuclei and surrounded by endometrial stroma admixed with normal endocervical glands. Immunohistochemical studies were reactive for CD10 in the stromal cells and vimentin in endometrioid glands. The findings were consistent with cervical endometriosis. Endometriosis in the cervix is an uncommon pathology that mimics malignancy and may be interpreted as atypical or glandular neoplasia in the cytology

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field