Adenosquamous carcinoma of lung

Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the lung is a rare type of non-small cell lung cancer.

Epidemiology

It is thought to constituting 0.4-4% of cases non-small cell lung cancer.

Pathology

The definition of adenosquamous carcinoma indicates a carcinoma showing components of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, with each comprising at least 10% of the tumor ⁴.

Location

There may be a slight predominance towards the periphery of the lung ^5-6.

Radiographic features

General

There appears to be a wide imaging spectrum both in terms of size and morphology ⁵. Differentiation from other histological forms on imaging grounds alone can be difficult. They usually present as a single lesion, with mean tumor size ranging from 2.8 to 3.8 cm (range 0.6-11 cm), based on two studies ^5-6.

Treatment and prognosis

It is thought to be more aggressive than both pure adenocarcinoma of the lung and pure squamous cell carcinoma of the lung ¹. Early stage disease may be amenable to surgery. There may also be an increased rate of lymph node metastases at the time of presentation compared with other histological types ⁷.