Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Pancreas: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

We report here on an unusual case of a 73-year-old Korean female with sarcomatoid carcinoma. This tumor was composed of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and a malignant fibrous histiocytoma-like stroma. The CT imaging revealed a multiseptated heterogenous hypodense mass that was 15 cm in size. The mass was located in the body and tail of the pancreas, spleen and gastrosplenic area. The pathologic examination showed that the carcinomatous component was negative for vimentin, and the sarcomatous component was positive for vimentin and CD 68. The ultrastructural examination showed that both the carcinomatous and sarcomatous components had desmosomes at the cell-cell contact sites. The patient refused postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and she died of cachexia with generalized tumor extension about 3 months later. This report presents special data that can clarify the clinicopathological features and pathogenesis of this rare neoplasm.