Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma mimicking pleural mesothelioma: A case report.

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 2985248R Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1536-5964 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00257974 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Medicine (Baltimore) Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Hagerstown, Md : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Carcinoma* ; Lung Neoplasms*/diagnosis ; Mesothelioma*/diagnosis ; Mesothelioma, Malignant* ; Pleural Neoplasms*/diagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Middle Aged

Introduction: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is an extremely rare biphasic tumor characterized by a mixture of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Owing to the rarity, as well as the lack of typical manifestations and imaging signs, the rate of misdiagnosis is high. Herein, we present a case of PSC misdiagnosed as pleural mesothelioma in a 59-year-old man.
Patient Concerns: A 59-year-old man presented with recurrent coughing, fever, and chest pain.
Diagnosis: Chest computed tomography showed 2 large and dense masses involving the inferior lobes of right lung, along with slight irregular pleural thickening and a small amount of effusion.
Interventions: Chest computed tomography-guided tumor biopsy was performed. PSC was confirmed based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The patient refused treatment due to economic reasons.
Outcomes: The patient developed adrenal, multiple lung and brain metastasis. The overall survival time was 11 months.
Conclusions: PSC, despite its rarity, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer. Besides, biopsy, histopathology, and specific immunohistochemical staining of larger tissue specimens can be contributing to the accurate diagnosis of PSC.
Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
(Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

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81970084 National Natural Science Foundation of China

Date Created: 20211112 Date Completed: 20220211 Latest Revision: 20230103

20240829

PMC8589231

10.1097/MD.0000000000027813

34766593