Penis as a primary site of an extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma: A case report

Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Mar 19;100(11):e25074. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025074.

Abstract

Rationale: The Ewing sarcoma family of malignant tumors is a group of tumors characterized by morphologically similar round-cell neoplasms and by the presence of a common chromosomal translocation; Ewing sarcoma family of tumors typically occur in children and young adults between 4 to 15 years of age. The primary tumor usually originates in the bone, extraskeletal localization is rare.

Patient concern: We present a case report concerning a 32-year-old male patient with a primary involvement of the penis.

Diagnosis: The histopathology from the first penile biopsy showed a small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; however, that result was based on a sample obtained at a different facility than the Sarcoma Center, where the investigating pathologist did not have the adequate expertise. The patient then underwent a radical penectomy and a second reading of the histology was demanded after a radical penile amputation when Ewing sarcoma with R1 resection was confirmed.

Interventions: The patient was referred to the national Sarcoma Center, where - using a multidisciplinary approach - the treatment was started with curative intent. However, it was preceded by a non-standard initiation of the therapy due to the poor primary diagnosis.

Outcomes: The non-standard therapy at the onset of the disease caused a poor prognosis of an otherwise curable diagnosis. Despite all that, the patient survived for a relatively long time.

Lessons: The treatment of sarcomas with atypical localizations should be conducted by an experienced multidisciplinary team in a center with experience in sarcoma treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Penile Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Penis / pathology
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / pathology*