{"entity":{"id":"lung-adenosquamous-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung","aka":["Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung","Adenosquamous cell lung cancer","Mixed adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung"],"tldr":"Adenosquamous carcinoma is an uncommon lung cancer that contains both gland-forming and squamous cancer cells, each making up at least a tenth of the tumour. It behaves worse than either pure type, but its gland-forming part often carries an EGFR mutation, so it is tested and treated like adenocarcinoma.","summary":"The WHO classification defines adenosquamous carcinoma as a carcinoma with at least 10 percent each of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, a diagnosis that can be made reliably only on a resection specimen; small biopsies usually capture one component (Li 2018). In the Japanese multi-institutional cohort adenosquamous cases had worse survival curves than adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma for all stages and for stage IA, IB and IIIA (Maeda 2012).\n\nHow it differs from its parent: it is the histology in which the treatment rules of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma collide. The review evidence favours treating it as adenocarcinoma: EGFR mutations are frequent enough that EGFR inhibitors such as erlotinib and gefitinib are effective in EGFR-mutant advanced disease, platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy for at least four cycles improved survival in stage III, data on ALK inhibitors are very limited, and checkpoint inhibitors are a potential option (Li 2018).\n\nHow common: 2.4 percent of resected lung cancers in the Japanese series (Maeda 2012); no population figure was found in the sources read.\n\nTreatment: as the parent by stage, with driver testing as for adenocarcinoma and EGFR inhibitors when a mutation is found; pemetrexed-based regimens are generally used because of the glandular component (Li 2018).","asOf":"2026-09-24","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosquamous_carcinoma","links":[{"label":"Nicholson 2022, JTO: the 2021 WHO classification of lung tumours","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtho.2021.11.003"},{"label":"Li 2018, OncoTargets and Therapy: adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung (review)","url":"https://doi.org/10.2147/ott.s164574"},{"label":"Maeda 2012, Eur J Cardiothorac Surg: adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung, surgical results in 4,668 resections","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcts.2011.05.050"}],"tags":["subtype-page","wave4","lung"],"related":["nsclc","lung-adenocarcinoma","lung-squamous-cell-carcinoma","egfr-mutant-nsclc"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":["egfr"],"drugs":["erlotinib","gefitinib","pemetrexed"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"group":"lung","burden":"2.4 percent of resected primary lung cancers (114 of 4,668 operations, Japan National Hospital Organization, 1997 to 2003), against 64.2 percent adenocarcinoma and 29.3 percent squamous cell carcinoma in the same series (Maeda 2012).","subtypes":["Adenosquamous carcinoma with EGFR mutation (treated on the EGFR page)","Adenosquamous carcinoma, driver-negative","Adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma with a minor (under 10 percent) second component (not adenosquamous)"],"biomarkers":["At least 10 percent each of glandular and squamous components on resection","EGFR and other adenocarcinoma drivers","PD-L1"],"standardOfCare":[{"setting":"All stages","approach":"Treated as lung adenocarcinoma: driver testing, EGFR inhibitors when mutated, platinum-based chemotherapy with immunotherapy otherwise.","refs":["lung-adenocarcinoma","egfr-mutant-nsclc","erlotinib","gefitinib","pemetrexed"]}],"stateOfArt":[],"history":[],"pipeline":[],"openProblems":[],"parent":"nsclc"},"route":"/cancers/lung-adenosquamous-carcinoma/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"lung-adenocarcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Adenocarcinoma of the lung","route":"/cancers/lung-adenocarcinoma/"},{"id":"pancreatic-adenosquamous-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas","route":"/cancers/pancreatic-adenosquamous-carcinoma/"},{"id":"egfr-mutant-nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/egfr-mutant-nsclc/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"},{"id":"lung-squamous-cell-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung","route":"/cancers/lung-squamous-cell-carcinoma/"}],"target":[{"id":"egfr","kind":"target","name":"EGFR","route":"/targets/egfr/"}],"drug":[{"id":"erlotinib","kind":"drug","name":"Erlotinib","route":"/drugs/erlotinib/"},{"id":"gefitinib","kind":"drug","name":"Gefitinib","route":"/drugs/gefitinib/"},{"id":"pemetrexed","kind":"drug","name":"Pemetrexed","route":"/drugs/pemetrexed/"}]}}