Pulmonary carcinosarcoma
Lung
carcinosarcoma as a rare biphasic sarcomatoid carcinoma: a case report. Left lung mass.
Lung
carcinosarcoma as a rare biphasic sarcomatoid carcinoma: a case report. CT scan of carcinosarcoma of the left lung.
Lung carcinosarcomas are uncommon malignant biphasic tumors classified as a subtype of sarcomatoid tumors of the lung.
Epidemiology
It is rare and thought to account for <1% of all lung cancers. There may be a greater male predilection with tumor generally occurring heavy smokers with peak occurrence between the 5 to 8decades of life .
Pathology
It is defined by coexisting histologic elements of carcinomatous (typically squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma) and sarcomatous components (eg. rhabdomyosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and osteosarcoma).
Genetics
- TP53 mutations are often present
- KRAS mutations are less frequent
- EGFR mutations are very uncommon
Treatment and prognosis
Overall prognosis is generally considered poor. Some authors suggest carcinomatous portion tending to metastasize to regional lymph nodes whereas the sarcomatous part favoring systemic dissemination .
