Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the colon: a case report with literature review.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) is a well defined tumor type that may occur in all organs and anatomic sites but most commonly in the head 1 neck 1 , respiratory tract 2 - 4 , breast 5 , and genitourinary tract 6 - 1 1 , It is a biphasic tumor showing both epithelial- and mesenchymal-like differentiation; however, its carcinomatous nature Is widely recognized 1 2 SC is rare In the gastrointestinal tract. In the esophagus it accounts for less than 5% of all malignancies 1 2 - 1 6 and approximately only 35 cases have been described in the stomach 1 2 - 1 7 - 1 8 , Very few cases have been observed In the small intestine 1 9 - 2 0 , anorectal junction 2 1 , liver 2 2 , and pancreas 2 3 - 2 4 . To our knowledge only eight cases of SC have been reported in the colon 2 5 - 3 2 We report a case of primary colonic SC. Both morphological and immunohistochemical analyses are provided along with an evaluation of the unusual clinical history, therapeutic implications, and controversial differential diagnosis.