Primary uterine ectomesenchymoma harboring a DICER1 mutation: case report with molecular analysis

Virchows Arch. 2021 Aug;479(2):419-424. doi: 10.1007/s00428-021-03057-x. Epub 2021 Feb 17.

Abstract

Ectomesenchymoma is an exceedingly rare biphasic malignant tumor characterized by the presence of mesenchymal and neuroectodermal elements. The majority of patients are infants or children. We describe the first case of this entity diagnosed as a primary uterine tumor. A 72-year-old female presented with post-menopausal bleeding. Dilatation and curettage showed irregular mesenchymal proliferation of uncertain nature. In the hysterectomy specimen, a myxoid spindle cell tumor with areas of skeletal muscle and neural differentiation was found in the uterus, with direct invasion of the small intestine, and biphasic differentiation into rhabdomyosarcoma and ganglioneuroblastoma was unequivocally seen in a lymph node metastasis. The morphological findings were validated by immunohistochemistry. Massive parallel sequencing identified TP53, PTEN, and DICER1 mutations in the tumor. This report describes the presence of ectomesenchymoma in an unusual primary organ and in an uncharacteristic age and presents novel data regarding the genetic characteristics of this tumor.

Keywords: Ectomesenchymoma; Immunohistochemistry; Massive parallel sequencing; Metastasis; Uterus.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases / genetics*
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Female
  • Ganglioneuroblastoma / genetics*
  • Ganglioneuroblastoma / pathology
  • Ganglioneuroblastoma / surgery
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Hysterectomy
  • Mesenchymoma / genetics*
  • Mesenchymoma / pathology
  • Mesenchymoma / surgery
  • Mutation*
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / genetics
  • Phenotype
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / genetics*
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / pathology
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / surgery
  • Ribonuclease III / genetics*
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Uterine Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Uterine Neoplasms / pathology
  • Uterine Neoplasms / surgery

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • TP53 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • DICER1 protein, human
  • Ribonuclease III
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase
  • PTEN protein, human
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases