Cervical cancer of the uterus complicated by renal AA amyloidosis

Cervical cancer of the uterus rarely develops systemic secondary amyloidosis. We present the case of a 66-year-old female patient who manifested systemic amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis in the kidney, digestive tract, and cervix of the uterus, secondary to cervical cancer. She exhibited nephrotic syndrome, intractable diarrhea, and mild fever 3 months after she underwent an extended hysterectomy with postoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy and whole pelvic irradiation. Further examinations revealed AA amyloidosis of the kidney and colon and cytomegalovirus infection in the colon. AA amyloid deposition was positive in the resected tissues of uterine cancer. The patient was diagnosed with systemic AA amyloidosis consecutive to cervical cancer. Despite a decrease in urinary protein after antiviral therapy, it increased 14 months later with neither apparent symptoms nor an increase in tumor marker. A second renal biopsy revealed AA amyloidosis of the kidney. Subsequent investigations revealed the recurrence of cervical cancer in the lung, liver, and lymph nodes. This case report indicated that AA amyloidosis would complicate cervical cancer and recur even after resection of neoplasm owing to other stimulation. Moreover, urine protein could be a marker for cancer relapse in known cases of cancer-derived AA amyloidosis.

Keywords: AA amyloidosis; Cervical cancer; Renal amyloidosis.