Abstract
We report a rare case of esophageal cancer in a 63-year-old man with tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica. The patient was being followed endoscopically for suspected submucosal tumors in the esophagus. After six months the submucosal lesions became larger, and endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy yielded a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. CT confirmed the esophageal tumors as T3, and showed the trachea compressed by a swollen No. 105 lymph node. The tracheal wall and the right main bronchus were thickened. PET showed a high uptake in the esophageal lesions and in the No. 105 lymph node. Bronchoscopic findings then revealed multiple small nodular lesions in the anterior and lateral walls, from the trachea to the right main bronchus. The histopathological findings from further biopsy specimens indicated these small nodular lesions to be tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica. We then performed preoperative chemotherapy and esophagectomy for the T3 tumors. Tracheobronchopathic osteochondroplastica is a very rare benign disease of unknown etiology. However, digestive surgeons should be aware of this disease which might be confused with metastasis or invasion to the trachea.
