Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with an uncommon metastasis to the left iliac region--case report

We describe a rare and interesting case of a basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSC) of the uterine cervix with metastasis in the left iliac region diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA). A 54-year-old woman underwent FNA because of a mass in the left iliac region. The material was processed by conventional liquid based cytology (ThinPrep), and by the cell-block technique and diagnosis was based on the cytomorphologic and immunochemical characteristics as well as the patient's history. The cytologic diagnosis concerned a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. After a laborious search, we found out that the patient had undergone a total hysterectomy almost 15 years before. The histological diagnosis then was an "infiltrative squamous cell carcinoma of basaloid type" of the uterine cervix. Our case is of particular interest because it is a rare type of neoplasm with an unusual site of metastasis after a long disease-free period.