Pathology of the uterine corpus

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in the United States. Endometrial carcinomas can be divided into two types based primarily on association with excess estrogen. Endometrioid adenocarcinoma is the prototypical type 1 endometrial carcinoma, well known for its association with excess estrogen. It is the most common uterine malignancy and usually occurs in postmenopausal women. Endometrial hyperplasia is widely recognized as a non-obligate precursor to endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Type 2 endometrial carcinomas are not associated with excess estrogen and include serous and clear cell carcinomas. Awide variety of other neoplasms occur in the uterus. More common entities include biphasic tumors like malignant mixed Mullerian tumors (MMMT) and mesenchymal malignancies such as endometrial stromal sarcoma and leiomyosarcomas. More rare uterine tumors include perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), lymphoma, and gestational trophoblastic disease.