ACANTHOLYTIC SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE UTERINE CERVIX WITH AMYLOID DEPOSITION

An 84-year-old woman suffered for 1 year from intermittent vaginal ble eding. Clinical examination revealed a large ulcerative cervical tumor that was histologically classified as well-differentiated squamous ce ll carcinoma. Acantholytic areas, apoptotic cell death, and pronounced amyloid deposition characterized the tumor. No evidence of papilloma virus infection was found in immunohistochemical examination or in nuc leic acid in situ hybridization. Amyloid formed globular structures su rrounded by neoplastic cells that reacted with cytokeratin antibodies. Although the amyloid itself was not labeled, electron microscopy show ed filamentous degeneration of the squamous cells analogous to that de scribed in different types of cutaneous keratin-derived amyloidoses. I t was concluded that similar pathogenetic mechanisms are involved both in the cutaneous amyloidosis and in the amyloid deposition of squamou s cell carcinoma.