A case report of gastric carcinosarcoma with rhabdomyosarcomatous and neuroendocrinal differentiation

Abstract

We report herein an unusual gastric carcinosarcoma with rhabdomyosarcomatous and neuroendocrinal differentiation in a 63-year-old Japanese male. The tumor was a pedunculated large polypoid tumor (7 x 6.5 x 3.5 cm) located in the pylorus. Histologically, it invaded to the subserosa and was composed of both adenocarcinomatous and sarcomatous components. Adenocarcinomatous foci generally showed tubular to solid patterns and occupied the parts facing the gastric lumen, while the sarcomatous components showed a generally irregular and solid arrangement. There were transitions between the sarcomatous and carcinoma elements. In addition, carcinoma cells with a cord-like or trabecular arrangement similar to that seen in endocrine carcinoma expressed chromogranin A, and were mainly observed in an intermediate area between the adenocarcinomatous and sarcomatous foci. The sarcomatous areas were mainly composed of spindle cells and occasionally contained a sarcomatous component showing rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation. This is an interesting case to consider how the variety of cell type appeared in such a type of tumor in the stomach.