Carcinosarcoma of the oesophagus - a rare mixed type of tumor

Joyce T Au; Gainosuke Sugiyama; Hongbei Wang; Anthony Nicastri; Daniel Lee; Wilson Ko; Vinay Tak

doi:10.1093/jscr/2010.7.7

Carcinosarcoma of the oesophagus - a rare mixed type of tumor

J Surg Case Rep. 2010 Sep 1;2010(7):7. doi: 10.1093/jscr/2010.7.7.

Authors

Joyce T Au¹, Gainosuke Sugiyama¹, Hongbei Wang¹, Anthony Nicastri¹, Daniel Lee¹, Wilson Ko¹, Vinay Tak¹

Affiliation

¹ SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York, USA.

Abstract

Oesophageal carcinosarcoma is a rare type of oesophageal cancer composed of both squamous cells and sarcomatous cells. We report a case of a 71 year old man presenting with dysphagia and weight loss. Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a bulky mass with a preliminary diagnosis of only oesophageal carcinoma, and the oesophageal mass was resected with a transhiatal oesophagectomy. On surgical pathology, it was discovered that the tumor had both squamous cell and sarcomatous cell components, and the final diagnosis was changed to oesophageal carcinosarcoma. We discuss the presentation, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this unique entity.