Carcinosarcoma of the prostate.

Abstract

A unique case of carcinosarcoma of the prostate occurring in a 32 year old man is presented. This is the youngest case reported to date among nine well-documented examples. The patient underwent a total prostatectomy under the diagnosis of prostatic sarcoma. Despite adjuvant chemotherapy and full-dose radiotherapy being undertaken, the patient died from multiple lung metastases about 8 months after the operation. The surgically resected primary tumor was composed of two histologically distinct elements, these being an undifferentiated carcinoma and a sarcoma with various mesodermal components. These elements were intimately intermingled and transitional forms were often noticed. The sarcomatous portion contained myxoid areas, spindle cell sarcomas with nuclear palisading, areas of osteoid formation and small islands of chondromatous differentiation. The pathogenesis of this complex neoplasm is discussed, and it is suggested that vestigial embryologic Müllerian mesodermal tissue may be capable of diverse differentiation.