Clinical analysis of primitive neuroectodermal tumors in the female genital tract: A report of three cases

Abstract

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) in the genital tract are very rarely encountered by gynecologists. They are a member of the Ewing sarcoma family. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors encompass a group of embryonic tumors with varying degrees of neuronal differentiation. Peripheral PNETs are small round blue cell tumors with a neuroectodermal origin [1]. Most PNETs of the genital tract occur in the ovary, and more rarely in the vulva, vagina, cervix, and uterus. The literature has only a few case reports and small case series on PNET of the genital tract. In this correspondence, we report three rare cases of PNET with genital tract origin that arose from the vulva, uterus, and ovary, and we assess the clinical characteristics of these neoplasms. We have diagnosed three cases of PNET of the genital tract, the clinical features of which are described in Table 1. The PNETs had a wide range of age distribution and clinical presentation. The tumors ranged in size from 4 cm to 35 cm. Medical histories and imaging studies alone are inadequate for a definitive diagnosis of PNET. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors can be diagnosed via histological investigation of a sample. It is characterized as small round cells with the formation of pseudo-rosettes and HomereWright rosettes [2].