Cutaneous carcinosarcoma: a rare diagnosis

Abstract

Carcinosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor that is a combination of carcinoma (cancer of epithelial tissue) and sarcoma (cancer of mesenchymal tissue). In practice, it is more common to have either carcinoma or sarcoma individually, but it is novel to have a combination of the two; as a result, few cases have been reported. Carcinosarcoma typically occurs in visceral organs and is rare in the skin. We present the case of a 68-year-old man with a lesion on his left zygomatic cheek that was revealed to be a biphasic malignant neoplasm. Multiple stains provided evidence of both epithelial and mesenchymal components within the lesion. Treatment for such a diagnosis typically involves a combination of wide local excision or plastic surgery for reconstruction purposes, both of which were used with this patient. This case describes the identification of cutaneous carcinosarcoma using immunohistochemical tests and emphasizes the uniqueness of such a diagnosis that requires early attention and appropriate selective treatment.

Keywords:

• Carcinosarcoma
• cutaneous carcinosarcoma
• skin cancer

Disclosure statement/Funding

The authors report no funding or conflicts of interest. The patient consented to publication of medical information and photographs.