Alveolar soft part sarcoma of uterine cervix in a postmenopausal woman: a case report and review of literature

We report a case of alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) in a 68-year-old woman's uterine cervix. Macroscopic observation revealed an unencapsulated lesion confined to the cervical stroma, measuring 10 mm in diameter. Microscopic examination showed large, round or polygonal tumor cells, arranging in a well-defined nests pattern with scanty vascular stroma. Immunohistochemistry was performed. Tumor cells showed positivity for Ki-67 (2%), TFE-3, CD68, and myoD1 (cytoplasm), while negative for HNF1 beta, CD10, RCC, PAX-8, CK7, CK18, CK8, CR, EMA, HMB-45, S-100, CgA, and Syn. Periodic acid-Schiff stain after diastase digestion (PAS-D) had revealed rod-like or rhomboid crystals of some cells. The diagnosis of ASPS was confirmed. ASPS was a rare soft tissue malignancy in female reproductive system. After a detailed study of the reported cases, we summarized some clinicopathological differences between cervical and soft tissue ASPS.