Clinico-morphological Spectrum of Neoplasms of Uterine Cervix in a Tertiary Care Center in North Karnataka, South India

Introduction: Carcinoma of cervix is third most common malignancy encountered among women globally. About 80% of cases occur in developing countries. It has been estimated that approximately 2,30,000 women die annually from cervical cancer, and over 1,90,000 are from developing countries. Materials and Methods: It is a 5 years study done in SDMCMSH, Dharwad. Cervical biopsy and hysterectomy specimen received in the department of pathology were involved in the study. Specimen were fixed in formalin, processed in automated tissue processor, paraffin embedded, sectioned and stained by hematoxylin and eosin. Special stains were done wherever necessary. Clinical details were collected from records. Results: A total number of 324 cervical neoplasms were studied. Patient's age ranged from 24 to 80 years and mean age was 48.47 years. The most common age group involved was 41-50 years. Bleeding per vagina was the most common presenting complaint followed by vaginal discharge. Epithelial tumors constituted major bulk comprising 284 cases (88%). Among 324 cases, 223 (68.8%) cases were malignant, 32 (9.9%) cases were benign, and 69 (21.3%) cases were precursor lesions (i.e., cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN) I, CIN II, and CIN III). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (174 cases) was the most common malignant neoplasm. There were 8 cases of adenosquamous cell carcinoma, 5 neuroendocrine tumors, and 3 adenoid basal cell carcinoma. The least common malignant neoplasms were undifferentiated carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma with one case each. Leiomyoma was the most common benign tumor with 22 cases followed by adenomyoma and adenofibroma. Conclusion: Neoplasms of uterine cervix include a wide range of lesions arising from both epithelial and stromal components. Malignant tumors were most common, and SCC was predominant. Women in the 5th decade are most commonly involved, however, with a wide range of age group (24-80 years). Patients may be asymptomatic or present with various complaints such as severe bleeding per vagina and urinary disturbances.