Liu XJ, Wang P, Yang KX, Wang QL. Misdiagnosis and fatal outcome of advanced cervical adenosquamous carcinoma in pregnancy: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(34): 114352 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i34.114352]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qi-Lin Wang, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, No. 20 Section 3, South Renmin Road, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. mengzhlwh@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
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Case Report
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 6, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 9, 2025
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Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Cases
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2307-8960
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Liu XJ, Wang P, Yang KX, Wang QL. Misdiagnosis and fatal outcome of advanced cervical adenosquamous carcinoma in pregnancy: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(34): 114352 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i34.114352]
Misdiagnosis and fatal outcome of advanced cervical adenosquamous carcinoma in pregnancy: A case report
Xi-Jing Liu, Ping Wang, Kai-Xuan Yang, Qi-Lin Wang
Xi-Jing Liu, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Xi-Jing Liu, Ping Wang, Kai-Xuan Yang, Qi-Lin Wang, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University) of Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Ping Wang, Department of Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Kai-Xuan Yang, Department of Pathology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Qi-Lin Wang, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Wang QL and Liu XJ contributed ideas about this case; Yang KX and Wang P participated in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases; Wang QL and Liu XJ drafted the original manuscript; Wang QL revised the manuscript; Wang QL and Liu XJ provide the follow-up care of the patient and the baby; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China, No. 2021YFC2701603.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the relative of the patient for publication of the clinical details and clinical images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest for this case report.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qi-Lin Wang, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, No. 20 Section 3, South Renmin Road, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. mengzhlwh@163.com
Received: September 18, 2025 Revised: November 10, 2025 Accepted: December 1, 2025 Published online: December 6, 2025 Processing time: 79 Days and 19.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The special physiological changes during pregnancy pose a huge challenge to the diagnosis of cervical cancer in pregnancy (CCIP). However, due to the poor prognosis of advanced-stage CCIP, there is currently no consensus or guideline for diagnosis and treatment.
CASE SUMMARY
In this case report, we presented the case of a 30-year-old woman at 30 weeks of gestation who presented with irregular vaginal bleeding and was admitted to a local hospital at 35 weeks of gestation with a sudden gush of fluid and underwent a C-section. During the surgery, a rotten fish-like solid mass in the lower segment of the posterior wall of the uterus was excised for biopsy. The patient was referred to our hospital because she experienced heavy vaginal bleeding 13 days after one chemotherapy session. The solid mass was initially misdiagnosed as uterine clear-cell carcinoma at local hospital but later confirmed as cervical adenosquamous carcinoma by a multidisciplinary team. Three months posttreatment, she succumbed to multiple tumor metastases. The infant was healthy at the latest 2-year follow-up.
CONCLUSION
Obstetricians should expand differential diagnoses when obstetric factors cannot explain symptoms of persistent vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Atypical and insidious clinical presentations are often concealed by physiological changes during pregnancy, which may increase the difficulty of diagnosis and result in misdiagnosis.
Core Tip: Timely and precise diagnosis and management of advanced cervical cancer in pregnancy remain challenging, with limited reports available. We describe a case of advanced-stage cervical cancer initially misdiagnosed after cesarean section, leading to an adverse maternal outcome. Accurate pathological assessment and multidisciplinary collaboration are crucial for timely diagnosis and optimal management. This case highlights the importance of vigilance in diagnosis to improve maternal outcomes and prevent treatment delays.
