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Case Reports
. 2022 Aug 20;14(8):e28203.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.28203. eCollection 2022 Aug.

A Case Report of Carcinosarcoma of the Tongue Mimicking a Fibroma: An Enigmatic Lesion With a Diagnostic Dilemma

Aishwariya Mohanty  1 , Susil Sahoo  2 , N C Sangamesh  2 , Abikshyeet Panda  1 , Pallavi Mishra  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Case Report of Carcinosarcoma of the Tongue Mimicking a Fibroma: An Enigmatic Lesion With a Diagnostic Dilemma

Aishwariya Mohanty et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Carcinosarcoma of the tongue is a rare biphasic tumor composed of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), either in situ and/or in invasive form, and a mesenchymal component but of epithelial origin. It is important to diagnose this variant because of its aggressive nature and tendency to metastasize early. The present report describes the case of a carcinosarcoma of the tongue in a 48-year-old male with a short history of 30 days, the clinical feature of which resembles that of an irritational fibroma. The diagnosis often represents a clinicopathological challenge where the study with immunohistochemical technique (IHC) is key to the histopathological diagnosis. We here present a case report of this rare tumor, with an unusual presentation, to contribute in part to better understanding and awareness of this rare malignancy.

Keywords: cacinosarcoma; fibroma; oral cavity; spindle cell carcinoma; tongue.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Intraoral photograph showing a well-defined sessile swelling in the left lateral border of the tongue.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry.
(A) H&E stained section showing spindle cells arranged in a vague storiform pattern (×100 magnification). (B) IHC showing a carcinomatous component positive for cytokeratin. (C) IHC showing sarcomatous components positive for vimentin. (D) High proliferative Ki-67 labeling index. IHC: immunohistochemical technique.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Post-operative follow-up photograph after two months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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