Undifferentiated carcinoma of the transverse colon with rhabdoid features that developed during treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma with pembrolizumab: a case report

Abstract

Background: Undifferentiated carcinoma of the colon is rare, and its prognosis is very poor. We report a case of undifferentiated carcinoma of the colon with rhabdoid features developed during treatment of non-small lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with pembrolizumab. Case presentation: A 58-year-old man was diagnosed with transverse colon cancer during chemotherapy with pembrolizumab for NSCLC. Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was undifferentiated carcinoma with rhabdoid features and lymph node metastasis. Immunohistochemically, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) showed positivity. The microsatellite instability (MSI) status was low. He continued to receive pembrolizumab for NSCLC, and there have been no signs of colon cancer recurrence and progression of NSCLC for 15 months. Conclusion: We present the case of an undifferentiated carcinoma of the transverse colon with rhabdoid features. The development of the tumor with the expression of PD-L1 during pembrolizumab might have been associated with the low MSI.

A Rare Case of Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Colon Directly Invading the Duodenum

“…A few cases of undifferentiated carcinomas of the colon have been reported [8][9][10]. Clinical and pathologic characteristics of undifferentiated carcinoma of the colon were summarized in Table 1.…”

“…In IHC staining, the tumor cells were positive for CK, G-CSF, and vimentin, but negative for CK7, CD56, and CD30. Ashitomi et al [10] reported a case of undifferentiated carcinoma with a rhabdoid feature. In the present study, the morphology of the tumor did not have the same characteristics as rhabdoid or small cell type undifferentiated carcinomas.…”

“…While the most common type of colorectal cancer is adenocarcinoma, the undifferentiated carcinoma type is extremely rare. Therefore, only a few cases have been reported in the studies [8][9][10].…”

A Rare Case of Undifferentiated Rhabdoid Carcinoma of the Colon

“…Undifferentiated carcinoma of the colon with rhabdoid features are tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract infrequently reported in literature. These belong to the family of malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) that are rare, associated with poor prognosis, and can occur in various organs including the GI tract, heart, nervous system, breast, and urinary tract [ 1 , 2 ]. Their histological hallmark consists of cells characterized by an eccentrically located and large nucleus, prominent nucleoli, and cytosolic aggregates of intermediate filaments [ 3 ].…”