title: Sarcomatoid carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tracts.
abstract: Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract continues to be one of the most difficult diagnostic challenges for surgical pathologists. Histogenesis has been settled in favor of a divergent (mesenchymal) differentiation of a carcinoma, most often a squamous cell carcinoma. Finding the carcinoma and/or its immunohistochemical marker in the metaplastic cells establishes the diagnosis. There are, however, lesions that can simulate sarcomatoid carcinomas to varying degrees, and in which neither a definable carcinoma nor immunohistochemical evidence of one can be found. Such lesions fall into several categories: 1. benign reactive lesions, 2. inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors, 3. sarcomas, usually low-grade, 4. atypical pseudosarcomatous proliferation. The clinicopathologic considerations of sarcomatoid carcinomas are presented in this context and include immunohistochemical findings, prognostic factors, and biologic course.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Batsakis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suarez
mesh_terms: D002296:Carcinosarcoma / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D009379:Neoplasms, Muscle Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007633:Keratins