Adenocarcinoma of the cervix treated with radiation alone: prognostic significance of S-100 protein and vimentin immunostaining.

Fifty-nine patients with adenocarcinoma of the cervix were treated with radiation alone (eight stage I, 15 stage II, 25 stage III, and 11 stage IV patients). The disease-free 5-year survival rates for each stage were 63, 58, 30, and 9%, respectively. The incidence of vimentin-positive cancer cells in 20 women with adenosquamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that in 34 with endocervical adenocarcinoma (25 versus 6%; P less than .05). The outcome of stage III patients with S-100 protein-positive dendritic cells (Langerhans cells) or without vimentin-positive cancer cells was significantly better than that of women negative for S-100 protein or positive for vimentin (P less than .025 and P less than .05, respectively). These findings indicate that, along with clinical stage, Langerhans cell infiltration and the vimentin negativity of cancer cells are favorable prognostic factors in stage III adenocarcinoma of the cervix treated with radiation alone.