Case Report: Superficial spreading squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: a retrospective single-center case series and review of the literature
- 1Department of Oncology Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, West China Second University Hospital
- 2Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University
- 3Department of Pathology, West China Second University Hospital
Abstract
Background: Superficially spreading squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (ss-SCC) is a rare growth pattern characterized by predominantly mucosal extension of a cervical squamous lesion along the genital tract. Its diagnostic criteria, prognostic significance, and implications for staging and management remain uncertain. This study aimed to establish reproducible pathological criteria, characterize clinicopathological features and outcomes, and summarize the available literature.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases diagnosed at our institution between January 2010 and December 2025. Inclusion required a cervical-centered squamous lesion with histologically demonstrable superficial continuity with at least one extra-cervical genital-tract site, predominantly mucosal growth, morphological concordance between involved sites, and exclusion of metastatic neoplasm involving the cervix. All cases were reassessed according to the 2020 WHO classification and staged using the 2018 FIGO system. Clinical, pathological, treatment, recurrence, and follow-up data were summarized descriptively. PubMed was searched through December 31, 2025 using predefined eligibility criteria.
Results: Seven patients (mean age, 60 years; range, 50–77 years) met the diagnostic criteria. All tumors showed continuous superficial epithelial lesions extention from the cervix to the endometrium, with additional vaginal or fallopian-tube involvement in selected cases. All cervical lesions contained an invasive SCC component, with a maximum measured stromal invasion depth no greater than 5 mm; background HSIL was documented in four cases. All seven cases showed block-type p16 expression in the cervical and extra-cervical components. During a median follow-up of 30 months (range, 11–54 months), two patients developed locoregional recurrence (2/7, 28.6%). Neither had received initial adjuvant therapy, and both underwent salvage chemoradiotherapy and were alive without evidence of disease at the last follow-up. No disease-related deaths occurred. The literature review identified 25 publications comprising 44 patients, but heterogeneous treatment and incomplete follow-up precluded pooled outcome analysis.
Conclusion: ss-SCC represents a distinctive histological growth pattern within the HPV-associated cervical SCC spectrum rather than a separately staged entity. Diagnosis requires confirmation of cervical origin, demonstration of continuous superficial mucosal extension, and distinction from alternative primary tumors or conventional invasive/metastatic disease. Pathology reports should document the extent and distribution of mucosal involvement, invasion depth at each involved site, LVSI, and margin status. Multifocal anatomical involvement, including superficial mucosal extension, was not consistently associated with adverse outcomes in the reported cases. However, this conclusion requires further validation in larger case series with longer-term follow-up.
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BibTeX
@article{huang2026case,
title = {{Case Report: Superficial spreading squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: a retrospective single-center case series and review of the literature}},
author = {Hui-qiong Huang and Feng-ming Gong and Yu Xuan and Xiao-xia Wei and Xuan Zuo},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1829547},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1829547/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Case Report: Superficial spreading squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: a retrospective single-center case series and review of the literature
AU - Hui-qiong Huang
AU - Feng-ming Gong
AU - Yu Xuan
AU - Xiao-xia Wei
AU - Xuan Zuo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1829547
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1829547/full
AB - Background: Superficially spreading squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (ss-SCC) is a rare growth pattern characterized by predominantly mucosal extension of a cervical squamous lesion along the genital tract. Its diagnostic criteria, prognostic significance, and implications for staging and management remain uncertain. This study aimed to establish reproducible pathological criteria, characterize clinicopathological features and outcomes, and summarize the available literature. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases diagnosed at our institution between January 2010 and December 2025. Inclusion required a cervical-centered squamous lesion with histologically demonstrable superficial continuity with at least one extra-cervical genital-tract site, predominantly mucosal growth, morphological concordance between involved sites, and exclusion of metastatic neoplasm involving the cervix. All cases were reassessed according to the 2020 WHO classification and staged using the 2018 FIGO system. Clinical, pathological, treatment, recurrence, and follow-up data were summarized descriptively. PubMed was searched through December 31, 2025 using predefined eligibility criteria. Results: Seven patients (mean age, 60 years; range, 50–77 years) met the diagnostic criteria. All tumors showed continuous superficial epithelial lesions extention from the cervix to the endometrium, with additional vaginal or fallopian-tube involvement in selected cases. All cervical lesions contained an invasive SCC component, with a maximum measured stromal invasion depth no greater than 5 mm; background HSIL was documented in four cases. All seven cases showed block-type p16 expression in the cervical and extra-cervical components. During a median follow-up of 30 months (range, 11–54 months), two patients developed locoregional recurrence (2/7, 28.6%). Neither had received initial adjuvant therapy, and both underwent salvage chemoradiotherapy and were alive without evidence of disease at the last follow-up. No disease-related deaths occurred. The literature review identified 25 publications comprising 44 patients, but heterogeneous treatment and incomplete follow-up precluded pooled outcome analysis. Conclusion: ss-SCC represents a distinctive histological growth pattern within the HPV-associated cervical SCC spectrum rather than a separately staged entity. Diagnosis requires confirmation of cervical origin, demonstration of continuous superficial mucosal extension, and distinction from alternative primary tumors or conventional invasive/metastatic disease. Pathology reports should document the extent and distribution of mucosal involvement, invasion depth at each involved site, LVSI, and margin status. Multifocal anatomical involvement, including superficial mucosal extension, was not consistently associated with adverse outcomes in the reported cases. However, this conclusion requires further validation in larger case series with longer-term follow-up.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -