Mesenchymal Tumors and Other Rare Neoplasms

Uterine tumors other than benign polyps or carcinoma are rarely encountered in endometrial biopsies and curettings. Even submucosal leiomyomas rarely are sampled by an endometrial biopsy or curettage. The classification in Table 11.1 lists most of these other neoplasms. It has been reported that prior to a hysterectomy, the diagnosis of endometrial stromal sarcoma is missed in 20% of cases [1]. Similarly for leiomyosarcoma, inaccurate or inconclusive diagnosis on curettings ranges from 20% to 80% [1, 2, 3, 4]. Although these tumors have morphologic features that readily assist in their recognition, it is often impossible to classify them accurately from biopsy material alone.