, including reduced survival and resistance to therapy, according to a retrospective histopathological study.
“[Gastric-type mucinous carcinoma] constitutes a unique tumor type with distinct etiologic, morphologic, and clinical features that set it apart from other mucinous carcinomas,” Shin Nishio, MD, PhD, of Kurume (Japan) University and his colleagues wrote in Gynecologic Oncology.
The researchers retrospectively analyzed 393 women with stage I or II endocervical adenocarcinoma who received surgical treatment without concomitant chemotherapy. Sample slides were collected from of all patients with endocervical adenocarcinoma and were compared for variations in clinicopathological features between disease subtypes.
Dr. Nishio and his colleagues performed histopathological analysis on both usual-type endocervical adenocarcinoma and gastric-type mucinous carcinoma.
“The outcomes in patients with each type of disease were statistically compared,” they wrote.
Multivariable analysis showed that, compared with usual-type endocervical adenocarcinoma, gastric-type mucinous carcinoma was associated with worse clinical outcomes, including more aggressive tumor behavior, resistance to radio- and chemotherapy, and reduced progression-free and overall survival.
“Our study clearly shows that recurrence was more common among patients with GAS [gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma],” they added.
The authors acknowledged that further research is needed to fully understand the molecular mechanisms of various forms of endocervical adenocarcinoma.
“The profiles of the genomic signatures of unusual cervical cancers are still limited, and definitive treatment guidelines for such cancers remain to be established,” they concluded.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund of Japan. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Nishio S et al. Gynecol Oncol. 2019 Jan 29. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.01.022.