Sarcomatoid carcinoma, sometimes referred to as pleomorphic carcinoma, is a relatively uncommon form of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

whose malignant cells have histological, cytological, or molecular properties of both

epithelial Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellula ...

tumors ("

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesodermal ...

") and

mesenchymal Mesenchyme () is a type of loosely organized animal embryonic connective tissue of undifferentiated cells that give rise to most tissues, such as skin, blood or bone. The interactions between mesenchyme and epithelium help to form nearly every o ...

tumors ("

sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal (connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sarcom ...

"). It is believed that sarcomatoid carcinomas develop from more common forms of epithelial tumors.

Types

Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a type of rare lung tumour under the category of poorly differentiated

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy, compared to sm ...

(NSCLC). Based on its histological characteristics, it can be classified into giant cell carcinoma (almost completely consists of giant cells), spindle cell carcinoma (almost completely consists of spindle cells), pleomorphic carcinoma (at least 10% spindle/giant cells or consists of giant and spindle cells only),

carcinosarcoma Carcinosarcomas are malignant tumors that consist of a mixture of carcinoma (or epithelial cancer) and sarcoma (or mesenchymal/connective tissue cancer). Carcinosarcomas are rare tumors, and can arise in diverse organs, such as the skin, salivary ...

(mix of NSCLC and true sarcoma), and biphasic

pulmonary blastoma Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare cancer originating in the lung or pleural cavity. It occurs most often in infants and young children but also has been reported in adults. In a retrospective review of 204 children with lung tumors, pleuro ...

(consists of embryonal type epithelial element and primitive mesenchymal stroma).

Locations

Sarcomatoid carcinomas have been identified in the small intestine in rare cases. They may have epithelioid and mesenchymal properties or be composed only of mesenchymal-type

spindle cells Von Economo neurons (VENs), also called spindle neurons, are a specific class of mammalian cortical neurons characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma (or body) gradually tapering into a single apical axon (the ramification that ''transmits ...

, and are negative for

CD117 Proto-oncogene c-KIT is the gene encoding the receptor tyrosine kinase protein known as tyrosine-protein kinase KIT, CD117 (cluster of differentiation 117) or mast/stem cell growth factor receptor (SCFR). Multiple transcript variants encoding diff ...

and

DOG1 Fanconi anemia group J protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''BRCA1-interacting protein 1'' (''BRIP1'') gene. Function The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the RecQ DEAH helicase family and interacts with the BRCT r ...

. Some cases of sacromatoid carcinoma of the

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...

are resistant to

radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...

Epidemiology

This type of tumour have less than 1% incidence of all primary

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

s. Primary lung tumours originated from the tissues of the lung, not

metastasized Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

from other locations in the body.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarcomatoid Carcinoma Carcinoma