Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor of the lower uterine segment and cervical canal:A case report

BACKGROUND Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor(ETT) is the rarest type of gestational trophoblastic tumor(GTT). It has been reported that more than 50% of ETTs arise in the uterine cervix or the lower uterine segment. Here, we report a case of ETT within the lower uterine segment and cervical canal and discuss its manifestations,possible causes, and related influencing factors.CASE SUMMARY A 35-year-old woman(gravida 7, miscarriage 3, induction 2 with 1 being twins,para 2 of cesarean section, live 2), who had amenorrhea for 9 mo after breastfeeding for 22 mo after the last cesarean section, was diagnosed with ETT. The lesion was present in the lower uterine segment and endocervical canal with severe involvement of the anterior wall of the lower uterine segment and the front wall of the lower uterine segment where the cesarean incisions were made.Laboratory tests showed slight elevation of serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin. Intraoperative exploration showed the presence of a normal-sized uterus body with an enlarged tumor in the lower uterine segment. The surface of the lower uterine segment was light blue, the entire lesion was approximately about 8cm × 8 cm × 9 cm, with compression and displacement of the surrounding tissue.Histological examination diagnosed ETT. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positive expression of p63, with a Ki-67 proliferation index of 40%.CONCLUSION A search of the PubMed database using the search terms "cesarean section" and "epithelioid trophoblastic tumor" retrieved nine articles, including 13 cases of ETT and ETT-related lesions, all 13 cases had a history of cesarean section, and the lesions were all located at the cesarean section incision on the anterior wall of the lower uterine segment. The present case is the 14th reported case of ETT after cesarean section. Therefore, we deduced that cesarean section trauma had an important effect on the occurrence of ETT at this site.

Correlations between alterations of T-helper 17 cells and treatment efficacy after concurrent radiochemotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer (stage IIB-IIIB): a 3-year prospective study

Background::Recently,T-helper 17(Th17)cells have been proved to play an important role in promoting cervical cancer.But,till now,few study has been carried out to understand the involvement of these cells in efficacy of anti-tumor treatments.This study aimed to investigate the alterations in the percentage of circulating Th17 cells and related cytokines in locally advanced cervical cancer(LACC)patients before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy(cCRT)and to analyze the correlations between the alterations in Th17 cells and treatment efficacy.Methods::A prospective study with 49 LACC(International federation of gynecology and obstetrics[FIGO]stage IIB-IIIB)patients and 23 controls was conducted.Patients received the same cCRT schedule and were followed up for 3 years.Circulating Th17 cells(CD3+CD8-interleukin[IL]-17+T cells)and related cytokines IL-17,transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β),IL-10,IL-23,IL-6,and IL-22 were detected before and after cCRT.Correlations between alterations of circulating Th17 cells and treatment efficacy were analyzed.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS).Results::We found that 40 patients finished the entire cCRT schedule and met the endpoint of this study.The percentage of circulating Th17 cells in the LACC patients was higher than that in the controls,and it significantly decreased after cCRT(P<0.05).After cCRT,patients were divided into two groups based on the average of the Th17 cells declined.The subgroup of patients with a prominent decrease in circulating Th17 cells after cCRT had a higher treatment efficacy and longer PFS and OS times.Compared with the control patients,LACC patients had higher IL-6,IL-10,IL-22,TGF-βlevels and a lower IL-23 level(P<0.05).After cCRT,IL-6,IL-10,IL-17,IL-23 level significantly increased and TGF-βlevel significantly decreased compared with the levels before cCRT(P<0.05).Conclusion::Circulating Th17 cells in the LACC patients(FIGO stage IIB-IIIB)were higher than those in the controls,but they generally decreased after cCRT.A more pronounced decrease in circulating Th17 cells after cCRT was correlated with better therapeutic effect and longer PFS and OS times.