Female urethral adenocarcinoma with a heterogeneous phenotype

• Published in: APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica Vol. 114; no. 4; pp. 314 - 318
• Main Authors: KURODA, N., SHIOTSU, T., OHARA, M., HIROUCHI, T., MIZUNO, K., MIYAZAKI, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2006
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - chemistry; Adenocarcinoma - diagnosis; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Aged; CA-125 Antigen - analysis; Female; Female urethral adenocarcinoma; heterogeneous phenotype; histogenesis; Humans; Immunochemistry; Keratin-20; Keratin-7; Keratins - analysis; Phenotype; Urethral Neoplasms - chemistry; Urethral Neoplasms - diagnosis; Urethral Neoplasms - pathology
• ISSN: 0903-4641; 1600-0463
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2006.apm_345.x

We here report a very rare case of female urethral adenocarcinoma. A 77‐year‐old woman presented with urinary retention. Cystoscopy showed a urethral tumor and the biopsy material showed adenocarcinoma. Macroscopically, the tumor measuring 3.0×3.0×2.4 cm was predominantly observed around the periurethral area on the proximal side. Histologically, patterns of columnar/mucinous adenocarcinoma, clear cell adenocarcinoma and papillary/micropapillary carcinoma were observed, but there was no evidence of a cribriform pattern. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells of at least one of three components were positive for CK7 and CK20 or CA125. We suggest that female urethral adenocarcinoma with a histologically and immunohistochemically heterogeneous phenotype may originate from cells within urethral or paraurethral tissue, such as urethritis glandularis or intestinal metaplastic epithelium and Mullerian tissue.