REVIEW article
Front. Gastroenterol.
Sec. Gastroenterology and Cancer
Clinical Features and Prognosis of Colorectal Adenosquamous Carcinoma: A Pooled Analysis Based on Published Case Reports
Lei Wang 1
Hongqing Zhuo 1
Quan Wang 2
Ruishu Li 2
Zhu Wang 1
1. Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
2. Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China, Shaanxi Province
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract
Abstract Background: Colorectal adenosquamous carcinoma(CAC)is an extremely rare subtype of colorectal cancer, accounting for less than 0.1% of all cases. As a result, its clinical characteristics, diagnostic strategies, and therapeutic approaches remain poorly defined. This study aims to clarify the clinicopathological features, diagnostic patterns, and treatment outcomes of CAC in order to provide evidence-based support for clinical decision-making. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to systematically retrieve relevant case reports and case series from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and major Chinese databases from database inception to June 1, 2024. Results: A total of 77 eligible studies comprising 90 patients with CAC were included. Tumors were predominantly located in the right colon. No significant sex-based difference was observed (51.11% female vs. 48.89% male), and the mean age at diagnosis was 59.46 years. The most frequently reported presenting symptoms were abdominal pain and hematochezia. Surgical resection alone (50.00%) remained the most commonly applied treatment modality. Conclusions: CAC exhibits heterogeneous clinical presentations, and accurate preoperative pathological diagnosis remains challenging, which contributes to its unfavorable prognosis. Although multiple therapeutic strategies have been reported, surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment. Notably, multimodal treatment strategies integrating surgery with adjuvant therapies may represent a promising approach for improving survival outcomes in this rare malignancy.
Summary
Keywords
Clinical features, Colorectal adenosquamous, literature review, location, Treatment
Received
19 May 2025
Accepted
13 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Wang, Zhuo, Wang, Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Zhu Wang
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.