Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor of the uterus in a postmenopausal woman: a case report and review of the literature

We report an epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT), a recently delineated type of gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT), discovered in the uterus of a 66-year-old woman. She had been treated for a hydatidiform mole 17 years previously without chemotherapy. The resected uterus contained a solid/cystic tumor located entirely within the myometrium. Microscopically, there was an epithelial-like growth pattern. The tumor was circumscribed, with a pushing border, and the tumor cells grew in cords, nests, and sheets within which were aggregates of hyaline material and necrotic debris. Most tumor cells were mononuclear and had an epithelioid appearance with distinct cell borders, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and nuclei with occasional indistinct nucleoli. Scattered multinucleated cells consistent with syncytiotrophoblastic cells were also present. Immunohistochemical staining revealed strong diffuse reactivity for cytokeratins (CK7, AE1/AE3, CAM 5.2, CK18) and epidermal growth factor receptor, and focal reactivity, mainly in syncytiotrophoblastic cells, for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, human placental lactogen, and inhibin-alpha. The histologic and immunohistochemical features were characteristic of ETT, and helped to distinguish the tumor from other trophoblastic tumors and squamous cell carcinoma. An unusual observation was a high mitotic count, reflected in a Ki-67 proliferative index of 68.6%. Our findings indicate that ETT, like other types of GTT, can occur in postmenopausal women, even years after a gestational event.