Sebaceous neoplasms, including carcinoma, can exceptionally arise in
extracutaneous sites. We present the third known case of carcinoma with sebaceous
differentiation in the uterine cervix. Histologic and immunohistochemical features
suggested a metaplastic process within an otherwise usual squamous cell carcinoma. We
speculate that, by analogy with the skin where the epidermis and the 3 types of adnexa
have a common embryologic origin from basal cell layer of the superficial ectoderm, it is
possible that endocervical reserve cells, in addition to the well-known capacity of
squamous differentiation, retain the potential to give rise to appendages including
sebaceous glands.
