[Squamous carcinoma of the penis with a rhabdoid phenotype].

OBJECTIVE

To describe a squamous cell carcinoma of the penis with rhabdoid phenotype. We believe that only three squamous cell carcinomas with rhabdoid cells have been previously published and none of them was located in the penis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A 76 year old man presented a tumoral lesión in his penis, which had all the light microscopic and immunohistochemical features of a squamous cell carcinoma with rhabdoid phenotype. Rhabdoid cells were mainly located in areas with an alveolar pattern, most of them being isolated and intermixed with necrotic cells and necrotic debris.

CONCLUSIONS

First case of rhabdoid squamous cell carcinoma located in the penis. We suggest that rhabdoid phenotype could represent a type of degeneration, or a preliminary stage before apoptosis or cell necrosis occurs, instead of a specific differentiation. The most important prognostic factors in extrarenal tumors with rhabdoid features are stage and histologic type of tumors.