Carcinosarcoma of the oesophagus with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation

We report a case of oesophageal carcinosarcoma with prominent rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. Immunohistochemically, the rhabdomyblasts were mainly reactive to vimentin, cytokeratin, desmin, muscle-specific actin, myosin, and myoglobin, and were surrounded by laminin and type IV collagen-positive basement membranes. The tumour had dual differentiation, carcinomatous and sarcomatous, but also showed evident features of transition between the two components; suggesting a common origin. An epithelial-mesenchymal conversion could be the pathogenetic mechanism involved in the histogenesis of this lesion. The word carcinosarcoma, from a descriptive point of view, seems the most suitable to describe a tumour composed of both carcinomatous and true sarcomatous elements.