Cervical sarcomatoid carcinoma – A rare case report

Abstract

Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a very rare morphologic entity of the female genital tract and even more rare in the cervix. Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare form of cancer in which the cells exhibit properties characteristic of both epithelial and mesenchymal tumors and looks like a mixture of carcinoma and sarcoma. It differs from squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix in terms of having a poorer prognosis and a short disease-free survival. The tumor is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of presentation and is characterized by early recurrence following treatment. Surgery or radiotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment. A rare case of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the cervix in a 42-year-old female patient is reported here. The patient was examined, and biopsy from the polypoidal mass of the cervix was performed. Immunohistochemistry examination was done which favored the diagnosis as sarcomatoid carcinoma of the cervix with positivity for vimentin and P63 markers and diffuse staining of actin and negativity for CK7, CEA, ER, desmin, HMB45, MYOD1, EMA, CD10, and CK5/6. The patient was clinically defined as having International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIIB disease. The patient was treated by radiotherapy with a palliative approach according to clinical disease. The pathologic diagnosis of sarcomatoid carcinoma is based on histologic and immunohistochemical findings. As this entity of cervical cancer is very rare, it is difficult to draw a firm decision on disease behavior, diagnostic methods, best treatment option, and outcome. Reporting such cases might help oncologists to understand this entity of cervical cancer.