Conversion of Carcinomas into Carcino-sarcomas after Radiumtherapy

Abstract

Five cases of conversion of carcinomas into carcinosarcomas, one case of conversion of carcinoma into carcinosarcoma and then into fibrosarcoma and one case of conversion of carcinoma into spindle cell sarcoma are referred; the lesions were localized in two cases in the portio uteri, in one case in the cheek mucosa and in four cases in the tongue. In all the patients the conversion of the primitive histological pattern of the tumor occurred after local radium treatment: the appearance of the carcinosarcoma took place in four cases 16, 23, 25 and 30 years after a single radium treatment, whereas in two patients submitted to repeated radium therapies the latence time of the conversion lasted 3 and 4 years and the conversion of the carcinoma into spindle cell sarcoma required 15 years. Histological and cytological evaluation allows to exclude the possibility of pseudosarcomatous aspects of epithelial nests and to affirm the malignancy of the connectival portion of the tumors.