Cervix General

A case of HPV-53-related cervical cancer in an elderly patient

HPV-53-related-cervical-cancer
Escrito por Carla Brito Lopes

Abstract: The introduction of organized cervical cancer (CC) screening programs has drastically reduced the prevalence of CC. However the incidence is still too high, especially among elderly women. All guidelines strongly recommend a regular Papanicolaou (Pap) testing for young and middle-aged patients. On the other hand, many international professional societies no longer advise screening in women who have undergone hysterectomy, and in women aged 65 years and above, who have a previous history of regular Pap smears. Here we report the case of poorly differentiated CC, involving the pelvic lymph nodes and urinary bladder, occurring in a 79-year-old woman who regularly underwent Pap tests, with no reported cytological abnormalities. In this very rare case, the CC cells, as well as cells from metastatic lymph nodes and cells from urinary specimens, molecularly showed human papilloma virus (HPV)-53. With the limitations of a single case, this report brings important information to prevent CC in elderly patients: the utility of molecular tests to increase sensitivity of Pap smears in postmenopausal women; the importance of HPV-53 as one of the four “emergent” genotypes having a possible role in oncogenesis; and the presence of HPV-53 in lymph node metastases from cervical carcinoma, which would support the role of this virus in the maintenance of malignant status.


 

Article first published: 15 April 2014
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S57294
URL: Download Article [PDF]

Citation: [Zappacosta R, Lattanzio G, Viola P, Ianieri MM, Gatta DMP, Rosini S. A very rare case of HPV-53-related cervical cancer, in a 79-year-old woman with a previous history of negative Pap cytology. Clinical Interventions in Aging 2014, 9:683-688]

Copyright: This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

Sobre o autor

Carla Brito Lopes

Carla nasceu em Viana do Castelo em 1977. Licenciada em Anatomia Patológica, Citológica e Tanatológica pela Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde em Lisboa. Concluiu a certificação em Laboratory Management pela ASCP (American Association of Clinical Pathology) em Setembro de 2016. Mestre em Genética Molecular e Biomedicina pela Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Trabalhou no Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central entre 1998 e 2015, exercendo histopatologia e imunohistoquímica, sendo co-responsável pelo sector. Trabalha no Dr. Joaquim Chaves, Laboratório de Anatomia Patológica desde 2004 onde exerce funções de Coordenação Técnica e da Qualidade.