title: Case report and literature review: primary cutaneous carcinosarcoma.
abstract: Carcinosarcomas are rare but aggressive neoplasms commonly described in organs such as the breast, urinary bladder, uterus, liver, and lungs. Histopathologically, they are characterized by the presence of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components. The exact histogenesis of carcinosarcomas remains unknown and is debated in the literature. Primary carcinosarcomas of the skin are uncommon. To our knowledge, 20 cases of primary cutaneous carcinosarcoma have been described in the world literature. Most of these tumors were seen on the head and neck region of older individuals, both male and female. Microscopically, the more common carcinoma component is a squamous cell carcinoma followed by basal cell carcinoma, whereas the most common sarcoma component is an osteosarcoma. We report an example of this rare entity and speculate on its histogenesis in the skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saadat
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Manjunath
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vadmal
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002296:Carcinosarcoma / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*