Primary Cutaneous Carcinosarcomas: A Morphological Histogenetic Concept Revisited

Primary cutaneous carcinosarcoma: clinical, histological, and immunohistochemical analysis of eight cases

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic tumor comprising malignant epithelial and heterologous mesenchymal elements. Data on the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of this tumor are scarce. The objective of this study was to describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of cutaneous carcinosarcoma.

METHODS

A descriptive retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from Spain. We reviewed the records of eight patients with cutaneous carcinosarcoma who were diagnosed from 2009 to 2019.

RESULTS

The mean patient age at diagnosis was 72.13 years (range 44-91 years), and there was a male predilection (6 cases). The most common site of cutaneous carcinosarcoma was the head and neck (5 cases). Carcinosarcomas demonstrated variable histopathological and immunohistochemical features. Follow-up was available for 7-8 patients. There were two cases of local recurrence and one case of metastasis. Two patients died from the tumor during the entire follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the number of cases in this study was limited, our results provide valuable insight into the clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical characteristics of primary cutaneous carcinosarcoma.

A Case of Primary Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinosarcoma

A 94-year-old man consulted our hospital due to a rapidly growing tumor on the left cheek. The histological diagnosis of the tumor was basal cell carcinosarcoma, which was composed of intermingled epithelial and mesenchymal components. The former was basal cell carcinoma, while the latter was spindle cell sarcoma. The tumor was completely resected with a 3-mm margin and the patient remained free of local recurrence or distinct metastasis for 2 years. We report here a case of cutaneous basal cell carcinosarcoma and a review of the literature.

Primary Cutaneous Carcinosarcoma: A cutaneous neoplasm with an exceptional presentation

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Cutaneous Collision Tumor Associated With Porocarcinomatous and Angiosarcomatous Components: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall

Sarcomatoid eccrine porocarcinoma (SEP) is a very rare malignancy including epithelial and mesenchymal components exhibiting pleomorphic cells, nuclear hyperchromasia, and high mitotic activity in both elements. To date, only 6 cases of this uncommon neoplasm have been reported, corresponding to women over 70 years of age with ulcerated skin lesions. The authors describe the first sarcomatoid eccrine porocarcinoma in a 75-year-old male patient with a right hallux lesion, presenting a collision tumor with a mixed population of epithelial cells and a spindle cell angiosarcomatous mesenchymal component each expressing distinct and nonoverlapping morphologic and immunohistochemical features of epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation.

Trichoblastic carcinosarcoma: an authentic cutaneous carcinosarcoma

We describe a trichoblastic carcinosarcoma on the forehead of a 65-year-old man. This is the fifth case of trichoblastic carcinosarcoma in the literature and the first to be reported from the USA. It was successfully treated with direct excision. Trichoblastic carcinosarcoma should be distinguished from epidermal carcinosarcoma. We believe trichoblastic carcinosarcoma is an authentic carcinosarcoma derived from multiple progenitor cells whereas epidermal carcinosarcomas are derived from a single progenitor cell that undergoes epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and are better considered as sarcomatoid carcinomas.