Hidden endometrial cancer due to vaginal obliteration associated with lichen sclerosus/lichen planus.

Authors

Inês Vaz, Johanna Wagner, Caroline A Chevalier, Andreas R Günthert

Published in

BMJ case reports. Volume 19. Issue 8. Aug 18, 2026. Epub Aug 18, 2026.

Abstract

An elderly postmenopausal woman with untreated vulvar lichen sclerosus and lichen planus (LP) overlap presented with abdominal pain, constipation and urinary symptoms. Severe vulvovaginal scarring caused complete vaginal obliteration, preventing conventional speculum examination and transvaginal ultrasonography. Endorectal and abdominal ultrasonography revealed a large cystic pelvic mass. Urgent laparotomy identified extensive haematocolpos and uterine distension due to complete outflow obstruction. The patient underwent a hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and subtotal colpectomy. Histopathology confirmed Stage International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) IIB endometrioid endometrial carcinoma with mismatch repair deficiency while the vaginal tissue showed benign fibrosis. Postoperatively, she received topical corticosteroids for her vulvar disease and remained recurrence-free at a 24-month follow-up. This case emphasises that advanced vulvovaginal scarring can mask gynaecological malignancies and obstruct conventional diagnostics, necessitating alternative imaging and prompt surgical intervention to optimise outcomes.

PMID:
42613127
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.