Adenoid basal carcinoma of the cervix: report of 10 cases with reference to the expression of 3 basal cell antibodies

Adenoid basal carcinoma (ABC) of the uterine cervix is a rare neoplasm and its cell origin is still controversial. The clinicopathologic features was analyzed in a series of 10 pure ABCs. The immunohistochemistry expression of 3 basal markers including CK5/6, p63 and CAM5.2 was further investigated to explore the cell origin of ABC. The ages of the patients ranged from 56 to 73 years with a mean of 61 years. The majority of all patients were asymptomatic. None had a gross cervical tumor. All tumors had typical histologic features of adenoid basal carcinoma. All three basal cell markers were diffusely positive in the basaloid cells area; while for squamous differentiation areas, both CK5/6 and p63 showed diffuse staining, contrasted with the peripheral staining in the squamous foci for CAM5.2. In conclusion, cervical ABC has unique clinical and pathological features. The immunohistochemical evidence suggests that ABC may be originated from cervical reserve cells.