Endometrial carcinoma of the intestinal type. A first case report.

A primary endometrial adenocarcinoma is reported that showed abundant foci suggestive of pathologically differentiated intestinal epithelium. The tumor epithelium was composed of four main cell types. Columnar cells resembled absorptive intestinal cells and displayed glycocalyceal carcinoembryonic antigen immunostaining; mucin-producing cells and a few Paneth-like lysozyme-rich cells were irregularly distributed; a massive quantity of argyrophil cells including a few amphicrine (muco-argyrophil) ones, were detected by Grimelius-Alcian blue method. Immunocytochemical evidence was obtained for the storage of serotonin, somatostatin and gastrin/cholecystokinin in some of the endocrine cells. These findings suggest that the tumor arose from a pluripotential stem cell of the glandular epithelium.