Carcinoma and Metastatic Tumors of the Cervix

The concept of microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix was first introduced in 1947 by Mestwerdt.125 Microinvasive carcinoma (MICA) is considered a preclinical stage in the progressive spectrum of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and frank clinical invasive carcinoma of the cervix uteri. It is classified as clinical stage Ia according to the 1985 FIGO (International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians) staging of carcinoma of the cervix (Table 8.1). Because the lesion cannot be visualized on gross inspection, the diagnosis is based on histologic examination of cervical tissue.