Abstract
So-called carcinosarcoma is a malignant tumor which has a histological appearance of carcinoma showing sarcomatoid change. We report a rare case of so-called carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder which was composed of squamous cell carcinoma and spindle cell tumor ; although the carcinomatous component of this tumor is generally adenocarcinoma. A 68-year-old woman was admitted with a complaint of vomiting and loss of appetite. She was diagnosed as having cancer of the gallbladder with an invasion to the duodenum and underwent subtotal stomach-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy with extended cholecystectomy. Histopathology showed the coexistence of squamous cell carcinoma and spindle cell tumor with transformation between them. The sarcomatous component was immunoreactive to keratin which is an epithelial marker. Finally, she was diagnosed with so-called carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder associated with squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, she died at 3 months after operation because of liver metastasis and peritoneal dissemination.
