Adrenocortical sarcomatoid carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

• Published in: Journal of surgical case reports Vol. 2020; no. 7
• Main Authors: Sabrine, Derqaoui, Zakia, Bernoussi, Kaoutar, Znati
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 01-07-2020
• Subjects: Case Report; anatomical pathology; adrenal gland; sarcomatoid carcinoma
• ISSN: 2042-8812; 2042-8812
• DOI: 10.1093/jscr/rjaa211

Abstract
Adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma (ASC) is a very rare aggressive variant of adrenocortical carcinoma showing carcinomatous and sarcomatous differentiation. It is a poorly differentiated carcinoma with poor prognosis. The diagnosis requires careful histological and immunohistochemical investigation. We describe a new case of ASC to raise awareness on this extremely rare entity. A 27-year-old woman presented with a right flank pain. Imaging revealed a tissular mass of the right adrenal gland without metastases. After adrenalectomy, histology revealed sheets of epithelioid cells that stained for synaptophysin and Melan-A; and spindled cells staining for S-100. We have reported the clinical and histopathological features of ACS’s case; as it is an extremely rare cancer with a challenging diagnosis. There is a need for a further understanding of ASC’s biology to improve it poor prognosis.