Abstract

Basaloid squamous carcinoma is a rare, pooly differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma. It occurs in various sites, including the upper digestive tract, the esophagus, lung, anus, cervix and thymus. It has been postulated that basaloid carcinoma may arise from outside of the anal canal, such as at where the cloacogenic embryologic cells rest, the squamous metaplastic epithelium, or the totipotential basal cells. This tumor is a distinct entity that should be carefully distinguished from basal cell carcinomas of the anal canal, which is a condition that has a very good prognosis, and anal or perianal squamous cell carcinomas, which have a different path of spread and they vary considerably in their behavior. We report here on a patient with basaloid squamous carcinoma in the distal rectum that manifested as multiple submucosal lesions, and the patient presented with abdominal pain and blood tinged stool. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2006;33:168⁣172)

• Keywords: Rectal cancer, Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma, Submucosal lesions