J Gastric Cancer.  2013 Mar;13(1):69-72.

Carcinosarcoma of the Stomach: A Case Report

• Choi KW
• Lee WY
• Hong SW
• Chang YG
• Lee B
• Lee HK

Abstract

Carcinosarcoma is a rare malignant, biphasic tumor comprised of carcinoma and sarcoma components. In the gastrointestinal tract, carcinosarcoma is most frequently seen in the esophagus and rarely in the stomach. We report a 51-year-old female patient with 2-month-history of epigastric pain and dyspepsia. Endoscopic finding revealed a huge ulcerative lesion that infiltrated from the antrum to the mid-body. An endoscopically taken biopsy revealed poorly differentiated malignant round cell neoplasm. After the palliative subtotal gastrectomy, immunohistochemical studies showed two positive reactions for the epithelial marker and mesenchymal marker. Based on the above findings, the patient was diagnosed with gastric carcinosarcoma. The immunohistochemical analysis is a critical method in making an accurate diagnosis of carcinosarcoma.

Keyword

Carcinosarcoma; Stomach; Immunohistochemistry

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Carcinosarcoma
Dyspepsia
Esophagus
Female
Gastrectomy
Gastrointestinal Tract
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Sarcoma
Stomach
Ulcer

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Gastrofiberscopic examination revealed a huge ulcerofungating tumor with an extensive central ulceration and a peripheral fungating mound.

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  Fig. 2 Computed tomography showed diffuse wall thickening in gastric body, with a few enlarged lymph nodes.

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  Fig. 3 Macroscopic finding is an oval, relatively well-defined, ulcerofungating tumor with an extensive, excavating central ulceration and a peripheral, fungating margin.

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  Fig. 4 Biphasic tumor composed of poorly differentiated carcinoma nests (left) and sarcomatous elements (right) (H&E, ×200).

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  Fig. 5 Carcinoma nests stain (×400). (A) Carcinoma nests stain positively for cytokeratin, and (B) sarcomatous elements for vimentin.

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