Sebaceous glands - unusual histological finding in the uterine cervix

Abstract

Sebaceous glands have been extremely rare findings in the female genital system. Excluding the vulva and recent findings, very few cases have been described. The origin of the lesions remains a topic of speculation. However, it appears that prolonged irritation induces a metaplastic response in the ectocervical epithelium. A new case of sebaceous glands in the ectocervix of a 46-year-old woman is reported. The lesions were unexpectedly found in a hysterectomy specimen. The procedure was carried out for multiple leiomyomas of the uterine corpus. Histological examination revealed three mature sebaceous glands located distally to the transformation zone, which opened directly onto the surface epithelium. It could be concluded that sebaceous glands in the ectocervix are rare lesions of unclear origin and low clinical significance. However, the glands could potentially be associated with sebaceous carcinoma of that anatomical site.