Abstract
Little is known about the clinical aspect of carcinosarcoma of biliary tract. We present a rare case of this tumor followed by a review of the literature. A 73-year-old man visited our department with the chief complaint of jaundice and general malaise. A cholangiography revealed a 20-mm long stenosis in the common hepatic duct. Although bile cytology results indicated class II, cholangiocarcinoma in the perihilar region was strongly suspected. Therefore, pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. A resected sample had a 15-mm tuberous tumour, and HE staining revealed distinct regions of carcinomatous and sarcomatous components as well as a region where both components intermingle. Immunohistochemical examination showed that vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin were negative in the carcinoma component, epithelial membrane antigen was negative and pancytokeratin was partially positive in the sarcomatous component. Based on these findings, this case was diagnosed as 'so-called carcinosarcoma' of bile duct origin. The patient died of this disease eight months after the operation.
