Lung Sarcomatoid Carcinoma: An Intriguing Case Report of a Rare Malignancy

Sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) is a rare primary malignant tumor belonging to the group of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The diagnosis requires proper tumor sampling to exclude sarcoma, which is the main differential diagnosis. However, the prognosis of these tumors is poor, with a median survival rate lower than other NSCLC cases, mainly due to their aggressiveness and resistance to chemotherapy, especially platinum salts. In this report, we discuss a case of a 62-year-old male patient who presented at admission with hemoptysis and dyspnea. The diagnosis process involved thoracic computed tomography (CT) and fiberoptic bronchoscopy, which revealed tissue thickening at the carina and a mass extending from the lower end of the trachea to the carina, which was confirmed by biopsy. Unfortunately, despite receiving neoadjuvant radiotherapy and having endotracheal prosthesis, the patient succumbed to tumor progression. Our case highlights the aggressive nature of this tumor and underscores the importance of early detection.

A Rare Case of Laryngeal Osteosarcoma Causing Diagnostic Challenges

Laryngeal osteosarcomas are extremely rare. They cause diagnostic difficulty for the otolaryngologist and pathologist. Differentiation from sarcomatoid carcinoma is challenging but important, as clinical features and treatment strategies are different. Total laryngectomy is generally the preferred surgical approach for laryngeal osteosarcomas. Since lymph node metastasis is not expected, neck dissection is not needed. In this report, we present a case diagnosed with laryngeal osteosarcoma post the examination of the total laryngectomy specimen of a laryngeal tumor that could not be histopathologically differentiated by punch biopsy.

Mutational Analysis of EGFR Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma-An Indian Perspective of 212 Patients

Lung cancer is the world's leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the critical oncogenes and plays a significant role in tumor proliferation and metastasis. Patients with sensitizing mutations in the EGFR gene have better clinical outcomes when treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). This study expands our knowledge of the spectrum of EGFR mutations among lung cancer patients in the Indian scenario. This is a retrospective descriptive study of all newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer in tertiary care hospital in India. All the samples were subjected to real-time PCR (q-PCR) analysis and confirmation of rare novel mutations was done using Sanger sequencing. Clinicopathological characteristics, mutational EGFR status, and location on the exon and metastatic sites were evaluated. An analysis of total 212 samples showed mutations in 38.67% of cases. Among these, five (5.9%) samples had mutations in exon 18, 41 (48.8%) samples had mutations in exon 19, 12 (14.28%) samples had mutations in exon 20, and 26 (30.95%) samples had mutations in exon 21. Eleven (13.41%) were found to be uncommon EGFR mutations. Additionally, six (21.4%) samples that had EGFR mutations were also positive for brain metastasis. Future testing on bigger panels will help to characterize the incidence of genetic mutations and to determine the appropriate targeted treatment choices for NSCLC patients.

Carcinosarcoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma of the stomach: Two case reports

RATIONALE

Carcinosarcoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma of the stomach are rare, malignant, and biphasic tumors with high mortality. The differential diagnosis of these 2 diseases remains challenging. In the present study, we present 2 cases of carcinosarcoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma of the stomach.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 54-year-old woman was admitted with complaints of epigastric pain for 4 months, but she became serious for 10 days accompanied by melena. A 75-year-old man was admitted with complaints of epigastric pain for 1 month.

DIAGNOSIS

The female had a Borrmann type III irregular ulcerative lesion (5.0 × 4.0 × 1.0 cm) originating from the gastric antrum. The male had Borrmann type I tumor polypoid exophytic (5.0 × 4.0 × 2.0 cm) in the fundus of stomach near the cardia. Both cases were identified as malignant neoplasms by endoscopic biopsy and further confirmed by performing laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy, esophagogastrostomy, and palliative distal subtotal gastrectomy. The postoperative histopathological morphology and immunohistochemistry studies revealed sarcomatoid carcinoma for the female and gastric carcinosarcoma for the male respectively.

INTERVENTIONS

The female patient subsequently underwent laparoscopy-assisted radical distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer followed by systemic chemotherapy with oxaliplatin plus tegafur. The male patient underwent laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and esophagogastrostomy were performed.

OUTCOMES

The female had a mixture of a little poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma and abundant sarcomatoid spindle cell elements, and is still alive healthy up to date for 2 and a half years after surgery by phone follow-up. The male patient had both adenocarcinoma and fibrosarcoma in a single tumor, and died 1 month after the operation.

LESSONS

The present study provides insight into the clinical findings, differential diagnosis, and prognosis of carcinosarcomas and sarcomatoid carcinomas of the stomach. More cases are needed for further studies in the future.