# Pseudoendocrine Sarcoma: Unusual Manifestation in the Lower Leg

**Authors:** Torsten Hansen, Mathias Esser, Reiner Wirbel, Cornelia S. L Müller, Abbas Agaimy

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.103833 · 2026-02-18

## TL;DR

A rare pseudoendocrine sarcoma was found in the lower leg of a 59-year-old man, showing unique features and a new location for this tumor type.

## Contribution

This is the first reported case of pseudoendocrine sarcoma occurring in the lower leg.

## Key findings

- The tumor exhibited neuroendocrine-like morphology but lacked typical neuroendocrine markers like chromogranin and synaptophysin.
- A CTNNB1 gene S37F mutation was identified, supporting the diagnosis of pseudoendocrine sarcoma.
- The tumor was positive for beta-catenin, CD56, and S100, aiding in differential diagnosis.

## Abstract

Pseudoendocrine sarcoma is a recently described rare soft tissue neoplasm. The tumor predominantly affects older adults, with the paravertebral soft tissue as a predilection site. We report on an unusual location of pseudoendocrine sarcoma in the right gastrocnemius muscle of a 59-year-old male patient. Histology showed a remarkable neuroendocrine-like morphology. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were negative for chromogranin, synaptophysin, and INSM-1 but positive for beta-catenin, CD56, and multifocally for S100. By molecular analysis, an S37F point mutation in exon 3 of the CTNNB1 gene was detected. This case, to our knowledge, illustrates a hitherto unreported location of a pseudoendocrine sarcoma in the lower leg. The relevant differential diagnoses are discussed with special regard to CD56 and S100.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** CTNNB1 (catenin beta 1) [NCBI Gene 1499]
- **Proteins:** INSM1 (INSM transcriptional repressor 1), arm (armadillo), NCAM1 (neural cell adhesion molecule 1), S100A1 (S100 calcium binding protein A1)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** NCAM1 (neural cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 4684] {aka CD56, MSK39, NCAM}, CTNNB1 (catenin beta 1) [NCBI Gene 1499] {aka CTNNB, EVR7, MRD19, NEDSDV, armadillo}, S100B (S100 calcium binding protein B) [NCBI Gene 6285] {aka NEF, S100, S100-B, S100beta}, SYP (synaptophysin) [NCBI Gene 6855] {aka MRX96, MRXSYP, XLID96}
- **Diseases:** tumor (MESH:D009369), soft tissue neoplasm (MESH:D012983), Pseudoendocrine Sarcoma (MESH:D012509)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]
- **Mutations:** S37F

## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13004007/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13004007