Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Apr;46(2):210-4.
doi: 10.4132/KoreanJPathol.2012.46.2.210. Epub 2012 Apr 25.

Cytologic findings of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra: a case report

Jee-Young Han  1 , Kyu-Ho Kim, Lucia Kim, Suk-Jin Choi, In-Suh Park, Joon-Mee Kim, Young-Chae Chu, Sang-Min Yoon
Affiliations

Cytologic findings of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra: a case report

Jee-Young Han et al. Korean J Pathol. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra is a rare disease entity with an uncertain histogenesis. Here, we present a case of primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the female urethra with its cytological findings. A 54-year-old woman presented with a painless gross hematuria lasting 3 months. On vaginal sonography, there was a sausage-like, elongated mass in the urethra, measuring 3.8×4.3 cm. The voided urine cytology revealed small clusters of rounded or papillary cells. The necrotic debris and inflammatory cells were present within some clusters of tumor cells. These tumor cells were enlarged and had abundant clear or granular cytoplasm with cytoplasmic vacuoles. The nucleus was granular and contained vesicular chromatin with prominent nucleoli. The hobnail cells and hyaline globules were also present as in a histologic section. The histologic findings were compatible with clear cell adenocarcinoma. The tumor showed distinctive cytological features. Cytologically, however, it is necessary to make a differential diagnosis from other adenocarcinoma or high-grade urothelial carcinoma.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma, clear cell; Cytology; Urethra.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Vaginal sonography. There is a 3.8×4.3 cm-sized solid mass in the urethra which bulges to the urinary bladder wall. (B) The computed tomographic urography. There is a 4-cm low attenuated mass with cystic portion adjacent to the vaginal stump (arrows).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The voided urine cytology. (A) There are small clusters of globular or papillary tumor cells in the inflammatory background. (B) The necrotic debris and inflammatory cells are present within the cluster of tumor cells. (C) The tumor cells show an abundant, clear or granular cytoplasm with clear vacuoles as well as large irregular nuclei with vesicular chromatin pattern and prominent nucleoli. Some clusters show cells with hobnail features. (D) Small globular hyaline bodies (arrow) are present in the cluster of tumor cells.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Histological findings. (A) A histological section shows a tubulo-papillary pattern with solid portions. (B) The tumor cells have an abundant, clear or granular cytoplasm with eosinophilic hyaline globules.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Immunohistochemical findings. The tumor cells are positive for cytokeratin 7 (A) and P504S (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Oliva E, Young RH. Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra: a clinicopathologic analysis of 19 cases. Mod Pathol. 1996;9:513–520. - PubMed
    1. Drew PA, Murphy WM, Civantos F, Speights VO. The histogenesis of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the lower urinary tract: case series and review of the literature. Hum Pathol. 1996;27:248–252. - PubMed
    1. Kawano K, Yano M, Kitahara S, Yasuda K. Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the female urethra showing strong immunostaining for prostate-specific antigen. BJU Int. 2001;87:412–413. - PubMed
    1. Reis LO, Billis A, Ferreira FT, Ikari LY, Stellini RF, Ferreira U. Female urethral carcinoma: evidences to origin from Skene's glands. Urol Oncol. 2011;29:218–223. - PubMed
    1. Sun K, Huan Y, Unger PD. Clear cell adenocarcinoma of urinary bladder and urethra: another urinary tract lesion immunoreactive for P504S. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2008;132:1417–1422. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources