Difficulties in Diagnosing Gastric Adenocarcinoma of the Cervix: A Clinical Case and Literature Review

TL;DR

This paper discusses a rare case of cervical cancer not linked to HPV and highlights the challenges in diagnosing and treating it.

Contribution

The paper presents a clinical case and literature review on a rare, HPV-unrelated cervical cancer subtype.

Findings

Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma was diagnosed at an advanced stage despite initial routine check-up.

The tumor recurred after chemoradiotherapy, indicating poor prognosis.

Diagnostic challenges include non-specific symptoms and difficulty distinguishing from other conditions.

Abstract

We present the case of a 58-year-old patient diagnosed with gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma, a rare type of cervical cancer not associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The diagnosis was prompted by the incidental finding of endometrial thickening (9 mm) during a routine check-up for urinary incontinence. Hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy raised suspicion for malignancy, and further evaluation with serum CA 19-9 tumor marker and computed tomography confirmed the cervical origin of the tumor. The disease was diagnosed at an advanced stage, and despite primary treatment with chemoradiotherapy, the tumor recurred. We also provide a review of the literature focusing on the diagnostic challenges, treatment strategies, and prognosis of this rare form of cervical cancer.

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