Abstract
Carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic tumor made of two malignant components—the epithelial component and the stromal component—that can develop anywhere on the body, but mainly in sun-exposed areas. We report the case of a 78-year-old male who presented himself with a right temporal tumor in the ear 10 cm in diameter. A biopsy suggested a sarcoma. The patient underwent an extensive surgical resection of the temporal mass and the ipsilateral ear. A microscopic examination of the tumor revealed two intermixed malignant contingents. The epithelial component was made of atypical basaloid cells arranged in nests with peripheral palisading and expressing cytokeratin. The stromal component was made of atypical spindle cells expressing smooth muscle actin (SMA). A diagnosis of primary cutaneous carcinosarcoma with clear margins was reached. The patient is alive and without recurrence after twelve months of a follow-up period.
Highlights
Carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic tumor made of two malignant components—the epithelial component and the stromal component [1,2,3,4,5]— referred to as metaplastic carcinoma [6,7], with a male-to-female predominance
CC occurs in the head and neck, but mainly in the face, scalp [1], forearms, and all other sun-exposed areas of the body [7]
Its prognosis is poorly defined given its rarity: only 120 cases of CC have been reported in the literature [7]
Summary
Carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic tumor made of two malignant components—the epithelial component and the stromal component [1,2,3,4,5]— referred to as metaplastic carcinoma [6,7], with a male-to-female predominance. Carcinosarcoma affects elderly patients, appearing anywhere on the body [1,4,5,6,7]. The first case of cutaneous carcinosarcoma (CC) was described in 1972 [8]. Its prognosis is poorly defined given its rarity: only 120 cases of CC have been reported in the literature [7]. We report a new case of a primary CC in a 78-year-old male patient
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
