Adenocarcinoma of the endometrium with glassy-cell features--immunohistochemical observations.

A case of adenocarcinoma of the endometrium with glassy-cell features is reported and histochemical and immunohistochemical data are provided together with a review of the relevant literature. The microscopical features of glassy-cell carcinoma appear to be highly characteristic and diagnostic. The tumour is considered to be a distinctive and poorly differentiated type of adenosquamous carcinoma originating in the cervix or the endometrium. We studied the expression of several differentiating characteristics and detected the presence of secretory component and lysozyme in some tumour cells, whereas keratin and prekeratin were consistently absent. Since in normal uterine mucosa immunoreactivity for lysozyme is restricted to endocervical and isthmic epithelium, the presence of this antigen in the tumour would favour an endocervical or isthmic origin of the tumour cells. Furthermore our results suggest that this peculiar type of tumour is not poorly differentiated and that the assertion that glassy-cell carcinoma is a variant of adenosquamous carcinoma is open to doubt.