Adenomatoid tumors of the uterus

Our plain-English summary of Adenomatoid tumors of the uterus, by J.C. Quigley, W.R. Hart (American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 1981).

The study

• Authors: J.C. Quigley, W.R. Hart
• Journal: American Journal of Clinical Pathology
• Published: 1981;76(5):627-35
• Cited by: 82 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Adenomatoid tumors arising in the uterus are not well-recognized and are sometimes mistaken for other benign or malignant neoplasms. This study is a clinicopathologic analysis of 12 uterine adenomatoid tumors. Characteristically, they were small nodular lesions (mean diameter 2.1 cm) in the subserosa or outer wall of the myometrium. Four distinctive histologic types (adenoid, angiomatoid, solid, and cystic) were identified; each tumor consisted of a combination of one major and at least one minor type. The nodular proliferation of smooth muscle which accompanied some tumors was regarded as a non-neoplastic hyperplasia of myometrium. In two cases, small foci of serosal endosalpingiosis were adjacent to the tumor. Theories of histogenesis are discussed, and classification of the adenomatoid tumor as a type of benign mesothelioma is endorsed.

In plain English

This study reviewed 12 adenomatoid tumors of the uterus found in the pathology files of the University of Michigan, among cases diagnosed between January 1942 and June 1980. Six cases had been sent from outside hospitals for consultation. Eleven tumors were found in hysterectomy specimens and one at autopsy. In the surgical cases the tumor seemed to have been an incidental finding. Patients' ages were known for 11 and ranged from 30 to 51 years. All tumors were single nodules in the body of the uterus. They measured 1.0 to 4.0 cm across (mean 2.1 cm). The authors described four microscopic patterns (adenoid, angiomatoid, solid and cystic). Every tumor showed one main pattern plus at least one minor one. In all 11 cases that could be assessed, tumor tissue lay within 5 mm of the uterine serosa (outer surface). In two tumors it was directly continuous with the serosal lining cells. The authors concluded that adenomatoid tumors are a type of benign mesothelioma. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: clinicopathologic case series (retrospective review of pathology files)
• Who was studied: 12 uterine adenomatoid tumors from the diagnostic files of the Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, diagnosed January 1942 to June 1980. Six were consultation cases from outside hospitals and six were from University of Michigan Medical Center patients. Ages (known in 11) ranged from 30 to 51 years, mean 42.
• Main results:
  • Of the 12 tumors, 11 were found in hysterectomy specimens and one at autopsy. In each surgical case the tumor seemed to have been an incidental finding in a uterus removed for other reasons.
  • Tumor sizes ranged from 1.0 to 4.0 cm (mean 2.1 cm). Table 1 lists a size for all 12 tumors, although the text says gross descriptions were available for ten. All 12 were in the uterine corpus and all were solitary.
  • Four histologic types were identified. The adenoid pattern was the major pattern in six tumors and a minor element in five others. Angiomatoid was the major pattern in four tumors, solid in one and cystic in one. Every tumor combined two or more patterns.
  • The major histologic pattern did not correlate with the phase or activity of the endometrium, the patient's age, or tumor size.
  • In all 11 cases that could be evaluated, tumor elements were within 5 mm of the serosa. In five of the 11 they were within 1 mm or less.
  • In two tumors, direct continuity was documented between tumor cells and the serosal mesothelium. In two cases, small foci of serosal endosalpingiosis were adjacent to the tumor.
  • Smooth muscle next to the tumor appeared hyperplastic in ten cases. The authors regarded this as a non-neoplastic reaction of the myometrium rather than part of the tumor.
  • In one of the authors' consultation cases, the tumor had been mistaken for a metastatic carcinoma.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the evidence supports classifying adenomatoid tumors as benign mesotheliomas. They also concluded that awareness of the four histologic patterns, and of the tumors' usual appearance and location in the uterus, will aid in proper diagnosis.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Adenomatoid Tumor, Neoplasm, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Synchronous occurrence of benign mesothelioma and adenomatoid tumor of uterus: A case report and review of literature — P.R. Shen, J. Cen, et al. (2019)
• Composite multicystic mesothelioma and adenomatoid tumour of the uterus: different morphological manifestations of the same process? — J.K. Chan, M.H. Fong (1996)
• Adenomatoid tumour of the uterus — N. Marcussen, A. Donna (1988)
• The significance of epithelial differentiation in mixed mesodermal tumors of the uterus. A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study — P. Bitterman, B. Chun, et al. (1990)
• TRAF7 mutations and immunohistochemical study of uterine adenomatoid tumor compared with malignant mesothelioma — H. Itami, T. Fujii, et al. (2021)
• Uterine adenomatoid tumors confirmed by immunohistochemical staining — M. Irikoma, K. Takahashi, et al. (2001)

Browse more research in American Journal of Clinical Pathology, or return to medical research.