Endometrial cancer in young woman

Adenokarcinom endometrija pri mladi ženski

  • Alenka Repše Fokter Department of Pathology and Cytology, Celje General Hospital; University of Maribor, Faculty of Medicine
Keywords: pap smear, atypical endometrial cells, endometrial adenocarcinoma, young patients

Abstract

Purpose: Endometrial cancer is a common malignant disease for which there is no cost-effective early detection screen. Endometrial cancer primarily affects older women and is usually
diagnosed after symptoms occur. This malignancy is extremely rare in women younger than 40-years-old, so it is rarely considered, especially in asymptomatic cases. Endometrial cells should be evaluated and reported in cervicovaginal smears, but the sensitivity and positive predictive value of Pap tests for the detection of endometrial carcinoma is low.
Case report: This is a case report of a 30-year-old asymptomatic woman who was invited for regular cervical cancer screening and had irregular menstrual periods and was overweight. A Pap test revealed atypical endometrial cells, suspicious for carcinoma. Polycystic ovaries and a thickened endometrium were diagnosed following ultrasound investigation. Endometrial biopsy was performed, and endometrioid adeno-carcinoma was diagnosed. The patient underwent total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic
lymphadenectomy. Pathological examination showed well differentiated adenocarcinoma of endometrioid type with 2 mm of myometrial invasion.
Conclusions: Although rare, endometrial carcinoma can occur in younger women. The presence of atypical endometrial cells can be helpful for detecting such cases, but requires
further diagnostic assessments. However, it is important for clinicians to know that normal Pap smear results do not rule out this endometrial cancer.

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Author Biography

Alenka Repše Fokter, Department of Pathology and Cytology, Celje General Hospital; University of Maribor, Faculty of Medicine

Celje, Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: alenka.repse-fokter@guest.arnes.si (Correspondence)

Published
2021-11-25
How to Cite
Repše Fokter A. (2021). Endometrial cancer in young woman. Acta Medico-Biotechnica, 13(2), 60-64. https://doi.org/10.18690/actabiomed.206
Section
Articles