Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor With Rhabdomyosarcomatous and Glandular Elements

Abstract

Divergent differentiation occurs in a subset of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST), but differentiation toward epithelial elements is unusual. MPNST with both heterologous rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation (malignant Triton tumor), and glandular epithelial differentiation is exceedingly rare, with only 11 cases reported since 1973, and only 1 with histologically proven metastasis. We describe a case occurring in the mediastinum (between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery) of a 40-year-old man with neurofibromatosis type-1. Despite treatment, the tumor metastasized to the right frontal lobe 16 months after diagnosis. Histologically, the primary neoplasm comprised cellular fascicles of atypical spindle cells, with discrete foci of well-formed or more primitive glandular epithelial structures, while the metastases comprised spindle cell sarcoma, including rhabdomyosarcoma, without epithelial elements. We review and discuss the literature on these little characterized neoplasms, including histology and clinical features, adding to the spectrum of documented cases of divergent epithelial differentiation in Triton tumor.