Table of Contents
Definition / general | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Cytology description | Positive stains | Negative stains | Differential diagnosis | Additional referencesCite this page: Perunovic B. Endocervical glandular atypia / dysplasia. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/cervixendocervglandatypia.html. Accessed August 13th, 2022.
Definition / general
- More severe cases are called endocervical glandular dysplasia (atypical hyperplasia)
- In United Kingdom, use terminology of CGIN - cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia
- Not a reproducibly defined entity with a specific cause or outcome
- Patients with diagnosis based on cervicovaginal smears often have squamous dysplasia (Obstet Gynecol 1992;79:101)
- Appears to NOT be a precursor to adenocarcinoma in situ (Hum Pathol 2000;31:656)
- Atypical oxyphilic metaplasia: incidental finding of endocervical glands lined by large cuboidal or polygonal epithelial cells with dense, eosinophilic, focally vacuolated cytoplasm and variable nuclear enlargement, hyperchromatism, multiple lobes or multinucleation; no mitotic activity or stratification; benign behavior (Int J Gynecol Pathol 1997;16:99)
Microscopic (histologic) description
Glandular atypia
- Glandular cells with hyperchromatic nuclei with only occasional mitotic figures and minimal pseudostratification
- No cribriform areas, no papillary projections, no crowding, no mitotic figures
- Alternatively there is marked atypia involving only a single gland
- Normal N/C ratio
- Resembles adenocarcinoma in situ but nuclei are not malignant and have fewer mitotic figures OR malignant involvement of only one gland
Cytology description
Positive stains
- p16 (in dysplasia, Hum Pathol 2004;35:689, but not atypia or reactive lesions, Am J Surg Pathol 2003;27:187)
Negative stains
- HPV (usually)
Differential diagnosis
- Arias-Stella reaction
- Inflammation
- Microglandular hyperplasia
- Metaplasia
- Radiation
- Tamoxifen or oral contraceptives
Additional references