Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ultrastructure of clear cell carcinoma of the ovary

Case report and review of the literature

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Virchows Archiv A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The fine structure of an ovarian clear cell carcinoma in a 65 year old woman was analysed. The tumor cells were of both clear and “hobnail” types. Both were characterized by the presence of short microvilli, abundant glycogen granules, a well-developed granular endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, scanty lysosomes and very few lipid bodies. The tubules and gland-like spaces were always separated from the stroma by a basement membrane. At ultrastructural level the tumor cells do not resemble at all those of clear cell renal carcinomas. On the other hand, their submicroscopic features are strongly similar to those of the clear cell tumors found elsewhere in the female genital tract, emphasizing therewith their very probable müllerian origin. It is recommended to eliminate the term “mesonephroma ovarii” to designate the clear cell carcinomas of the ovary.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aure, J.Chr., Høeg, K., Kolstad, P.: Mesonephroid tumors of the ovary. Clinical and histopathologic studies. Obstet. Gynecol. 37, 860–867 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, P.A., Fox, H., Langley, F.A.: An electron-microscopic study of the endometroioid adenocarcinoma of the ovary and a comparison of its fine structure with that of normal endometrium and of adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. J. Pathol. 113, 165–173 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Doshi, N., Tobon, H.: Primary clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. An analysis of 15 cases with review of the literature. Cancer (Philad.) 39, 2658–2664 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastwood, J.: Mesonephroid (clear cell) carcinoma of the ovary and endometrium. A comparative prospective clinicopathological study and review of the literature. Cancer (Philad.) 41, 1911–1928 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ericsson, J.L., Seljelid, R., Orrenius, S.: Comparative light and electron microscopic observations of the cytoplasmic matrix in renal carcinomas. Virchows Arch. Path. Anat. 341, 204–223 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferenczy, A., Okagaki, T., Richart, R.M.: Para-endocrine hypercalcemia in ovarian neoplasms. Report of mesonephroma with hypercalcemia and review of the literature. Cancer (Philad.) 27, 427–433 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferenczy, A., Richart, R.M.: Endometrioid carcinomas. In: Female reproductive system. Dynamics of scan and transmission electron microscopy, pp. 305–307. New York: John Wiley & Sons 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Genton, C.: Les tumeurs mesonephroïdes (ou tumeurs à cellules claires) de l'ovaire. Schweiz. med. Wochenschr. 103, 1093–1098 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Genton, C.: Beziehungen zwischen Endometriose und hellzelligen, sogenannten mesonephroiden Karzinomen des Ovars. Öst. Z. Onkol. 2, 57–59 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hameed, K.: Clear cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 101, 954–958 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, W.R., Norris, H.J.: Mesonephric adenocarcinomas of the cervix. Cancer (Philad.) 29, 106–113 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Herbst, A.L., Robboy, S.H., Scully, R.E., Poskanzer, D.C.: Clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix in girls: Analysis of 170 registry cases. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 119, 713–724 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Klemi, P.J., Grönroos, M.: Mesonephroid carcinoma of the ovary. A clinicopathologic, histochemical and electron microscopic study. Obstet. Gynecol. 53, 472–479 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurman, R.J., Craig, J.M.: Endometrioid and clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. Cancer (Philad.) 29, 1653–1664 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurman, R.J., Scully, R.E.: Clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium. An analysis of 21 cases. Cancer (Philad.) 37, 872–882 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordqvist, S.R.B., Fidler, W.J.Jr., Woodruff, J.M., Lewis, J.L.: Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix and vagina. A clinicopathologic study of 21 cases with and without a history of maternal ingestion of estrogens. Cancer (Philad.) 37, 858–871 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, H.J., Robinowitz, M.: Ovarian adenocarcinoma of mesonephric type. Cancer (Philad.) 28, 1074–1081 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Novak, E.R., Woodruff, J.D.: Mesonephroma of the ovary: thirty-five cases from the Ovarian Tumor Registry of the American Gynecological Society. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 77, 632–644 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Oberling, C., Riviere, M., Haguenau, F.: Ultrastructure of the clear cells in renal carcinomas and its importance for the demonstration of their renal origin. Nature 186, 402–403 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohkawa, K., Amasaki, H., Terashima, Y., Aizawa, S., Ishikawa, E.: Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. Light and electron microscopic studies. Cancer (Philad.) 40, 3019–3029 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Okagaki, T., Richart, R.M.: “Mesonephroma ovarii (hypernephroid carcinoma)”. Light microscopic and ultrastructural study of a case. Cancer (Philad.) 26, 453–461 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Photopulos, G.J., Carney, C.N., Edelman, D.A., Hughes, R.R., Fowler, W.C.Jr., Walton, L.A.: Clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium. Cancer (Philad.) 43, 1448–1456 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Plate, W.P.: Clear cell adenocarcinoma in an ovarian endometrial cyst. Obstet. Gynecol. 27, 428–431 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rorat, E., Ferenczy, A., Richart, R.M.: The ultrastructure of clear cell adenocarcinoma of endometrium. Cancer (Philad.) 33, 880–887 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, L., Shelley, E.: Mesonephric carcinoma of the ovary producing hypercalcemia. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 100, 418–421 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutledge, F., Kotz, H.L., Chang, S.C.: Mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. Report of a case and a review of the literature. Obstet. Gynecol. 25, 362–370 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Salazar, H., Merkow, L.P., Walter, W.S., Pardo, M.: Human ovarian neoplasms. Light and electron microscopic correlations. II. The clear cell tumor. Obstet. Gynecol. 44, 551–563 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schiller, W.: Mesonephroma ovarii. Am. J. Cancer 35, 1–21 (1939)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scully, R.E.: Recent progress in ovarian cancer. Hum. Pathol. 1, 73–98 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scully, R.E.: Ovarian tumors. A review. Am. J. Pathol. 87, 686–720 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scully, R.E., Barlow, J.F.: ldMesonephroma” of ovary. Tumor of müllerian nature related to the endometrioid carcinoma. Cancer (Philad.) 20, 1405–1417 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Seljelid, R., Ericsson, J.L.E.: Electron microscopic observations on specializations of the cell surface in renal clear cell carcinoma. Lab. Invest. 14, 435–447 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, S.G.: Ultrastructure and histogenesis of clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 115, 394–400 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, S.G., DeGiorgi, L.S.: Clear cell carcinoma of the vagina. A clinical, pathologic and electron microscopic study. Cancer (Philad.) 29, 1680–1690 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, S.G., DeGiorgi, L.S.: Clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium. Clinical, pathologic and ultrastructural findings. Cancer (Philad.) 31, 1127–1140 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J.P., Boronow, R.C., Moore, J.M.D.: Hypercalcemia accompanying ovarian mesonephroma without skeletal metastasis. Sth. med. J. 61, 375–378 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Teilum, G.: Special tumors of ovary and testis and related extragonadal lesions. Comparative pathology and histological identification, pp. 210–217. Copenhagen: Munksgaard 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Thrasher, T.V., Richart, R.M.: Ultrastructure of the Arias-Stella reaction. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 112, 113–120 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsukada, Y., Hewett, W.J., Barlow, J.J., Pickren, J.W.: Clear-cell adenocarcinoma (“mesonephroma”) of the vagina. Three cases associated with maternal synthetic nonsteroid estrogen therapy. Cancer (Philad.) 29, 1208–1214 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Woyke, S., Damagala, W., Olszewski, W.: Mesonephroma of the uterine cervix. Submicroscopical study and comparison with fine structure of endocervical adenocarcinoma. Virchows Arch. Path. Anat. 355, 29–40 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology of the University Women's Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland

    C. Y. Genton

  2. Institut für Pathologie der Universität Zürich, Universitätsspital, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland

    C. Y. Genton

Authors
  1. C. Y. Genton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Genton, C.Y. Ultrastructure of clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. Virchows Arch. A Path. Anat. and Histol. 385, 77–91 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433543

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433543

Key words

Search

Navigation