Teratocarcinosarcoma of the nasal cavity Report of a case showing favorable prognosis

Abstract

We report a very rare case of teratocarcinosarcoma of the nasal cavity showing a favorable prognosis. The patient was a 66-year-old man with a mass completely obstructing the right nasal cavity. Subsequently, extirpation of the mass and Denker-Watsuji operation were performed, and the patient was treated with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Neither recurrence nor distant metastasis was observed during follow-up lasting 30 months. Histologic examination of the resected mass revealed several tissue elements including columnar and squamous epithelia with atypia, smooth muscle cells with rare mitotic activity, and neuroectodermal tissue. The glandular epithelium and smooth muscle cells were reminiscent of a primitive intestinal organoid structure, suggestive of teratomatous tumorigenesis. Our case and a review of the literature indicate that the absence of invasiveness to the stroma or surrounding tissue is closely related to a favorable prognosis.