A Case of Undifferentiated Small–Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus

Abstract

We report a rare case of undifferentiated small–cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
A 75–year–old man admitted for an incidentally detected lung tumor was shown in fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG–PET) to have middle thoracic esophagus uptake. Upper endoscopy showed a tumor surrounded by a steep protrusion at the middle thoracic esophagus. Biopsy yielded a diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, necessitating subtotal esophagectomy with regional lymph node dissection. Postoperative pathology showed undifferentiated small–cell esophageal carcinoma. Multiple lung and liver metastases were noted 2 months postoperatively. The man died of multiple organ failure three months thereafter.