|
|
| Clear Cell Carcinoma |
| Etiology |
• unknown • associated with endometriosis • unrelated to diethylstilbesterol (DES) exposure |
| Pathogenesis |
• some patients with mutations in BRCA1
|
| Epidemiology |
• peri- or
post-menopausal women of low parity • gonadal dysgenesis • ovarian epithelial carcinoma = 6% of female cancer and
50% of female cancer deaths due to late detection and
failure to determine high risk group • clear cell = 6% of ovarian cancers; 40% bilateral |
| Clinical |
• early symptoms vague, late
abdominal distension with
ascites and pain • rarely detected on routine examination • most women have advanced disease at presentation • spread across serosal surfaces and to lymph nodes • for information on prognosis and treatment, consult the NCI web site. |
| General Gross Description |
• smooth, lobulated external surface • usually solid but may be cystic • yellow tan, firm |
| General Micro Description |
• cells arranged in tubules, nests, or cysts • clear cytoplasm (glycogen rich) with sharply demarcated
cell borders • "hobnail" cells with nucleus standing on stalk of
cytoplasm • hyperchromatic, pleomorphic nuclei |
| Reference |
• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994, pp. 1065-1068
|
