A case of uterine cervical cancer presenting with granulocytosis

Korean J Intern Med. 2005 Sep;20(3):247-50. doi: 10.3904/kjim.2005.20.3.247.

Abstract

Granulocytosis occurs in 40% of patients with lung and gastrointestinal cancers, 20% of patients with breast cancer, 30% of patients with brain tumor and ovarian cancer and 10% of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Granulocytosis occurs because of production of G-CSF, GM-CSF and IL-6. Uterine cervical carcinoma with granulocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome, however, has been rarely reported. We recently witnessed a case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with granulocytosis. Leukocytosis developed up to 69,000/microL, and then normalized after chemo-radiotherapy. There was no evidence of infection, tumor necrosis, glucocorticoid administration, or myeloproliferative disease by examination of a bone marrow aspirate when granulocytosis appeared. This phenomenon was probably associated with the secretion of hematopoietic growth factors such as G-CSF, GM-CSF and IL-6 by the tumor. We suggest that, like some other solid tumors, cervical cancer can present with granulocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Granulocytes / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Leukocytosis / etiology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / etiology*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / complications
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / physiopathology
  • Uterine Neoplasms / complications
  • Uterine Neoplasms / diagnosis*