Intravascular Lymphocytic Accumulation in the Uterine Cervix: A Frequent Finding.

Abstract

Intravascular accumulation of lymphocytes in any body site can raise concerns for a lymphoproliferative disorder, mainly intravascular lymphoma, leukemia, or a form of angiocentric lymphoma. We recently found an intravascular lymphocytic accumulation of non-neoplastic nature in a uterine cervix. The aim of the study was to define the frequency and the nature of this observation in the uterine cervix. Thirty cervical excision specimens including 23 cone biopsies and 7 hysterectomies were examined for the presence of intravascular accumulation of lymphocytes. Intravascular accumulation of lymphocytes was observed in 9 of the 30 specimens (30%). These were small-sized or medium-sized lymphocytes accumulating in lymphatic channels. The lymphocytes showed no atypia or mitotic activity. Intravascular lymphocytic accumulation was more common in cases with severe cervicitis (P<0.0001). Immunohistochemically, there was a mixed population of lymphocytes that were CD20 and CD3 positive; they were negative for CD30. Similar but larger lymph-node-like structures were noted inside the paracervical tissue in cases of wide excision. Intralymphatic accumulation of small nonatypical lymphocytes sometimes forming small corpuscles is a frequent and benign finding of the uterine cervix.