Postradiation therapy adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate

The objective of this study was to present two cases of adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate following radiation therapy. Two patients with hi story of prostate cancer treated with radiation therapy presented with rect al bleeding and a large ulcerated rectal mass. The rectal biopsy revealed o n both cases squamous cell carcinoma. The initial diagnosis was invasive sq uamous cell. carcinoma from anal origin. Both patients underwent pelvic exe nteration with continent urinary diversion. After extensive histological sa mpling and immuno-histochemisty, they were correctly diagnosed of adenosqua mous cell carcinoma of the prostate with invasion of the rectum. The patien ts died 6 and 16 months after surgery with widespread metastases, A review of the literature is presented. Adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostat e is an unusual histological variant of prostate cancer. To our knowledge, only three cases of adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate following radiation therapy have been reported. The unusual clinical and histopatholo gical features of the two cases reported here led to an initial mistaken di agnosis. Adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the prostate should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a patient with prostate cancer develops a rectal mass or rectal bleeding following radiation therapy and the rectal biopsy reveals squamous cell carcinoma.