CLEAR CELL CARCINOMA OF THE VAGINA. A CLINICAL, PATHOLOGIC AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDY

Abstract

Four clear cell carcinomas of the vagina are reported; two (from women of 17 and 78 years of age, respectively) were studied with the electron microscope. The younger patient was a product of a pregnancy supported by administration of diethylstilbestrol. Ultrastructurally, both tumors showed glands with short, thick microvilli in the lumina, and cells attached by desmosomes and interdigitating cytoplasmic processes. The cytoplasm was packed with glycogen granules, and also featured many small, uniform mitochondria and “stacked” parallel rows of granular endoplasmic reticulum. These findings are compared with those in ovarian and cervical clear cell carcinomas previously reported, and confirm the identity of the tumors in different sites in the female genital tract. Ultrastructural and other evidence supports a mullerian origin of these tumors. All four tumors have shown an excellent response to radiation therapy.