Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix metastasizing to the bone marrow: a case report

J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2008 Aug;34(4 Pt 2):692-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2008.00731.x.

Abstract

We report a case of small cell carcinoma (SmCC) of the uterine cervix that metastasized to the bone marrow. A 60-year-old woman with stage IIB SmCC of the cervix was treated with three courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy. Because of the presence of a large residual tumor, the patient underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Two months after the last course of chemotherapy, severe pancytopenia developed, and erythroblastic cells were found in the peripheral blood. The hematological disorder was shown to be secondary to bone marrow metastasis, and no other metastases were found. The patient died of the disease 8 months after the initial diagnosis. This case suggests that SmCC of the cervix can metastasize to bone marrow, that such metastasis can occur in isolation and lead to severe pancytopenia, influencing the clinical course of the disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bone Marrow Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / secondary*
  • Cervix Uteri / pathology*
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology*