Abstract
A 80-year-old woman admitted with progressive dysphasia and weight loss was found in computed tomographyto have a pulmonary tumor with pleural indentation in the left lower lobe. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of the lesion led to a cytological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Barium and endoscopy showed a circumferentialstricture without mucosal abnormality in the middle third of the esophagus. Cytological studies onspecimens by fine needle aspiration biopsy under endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS-FNAB) defined adenocarcinomasimilar to cytological findings in the BAL specimen. These facts strongly suggested that the esophagealtumor had metastasized from the lung. She was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Because of her ageand poor renal and respiratory function, she underwent esophageal stenting. Distant metastasis in lung canceris rare in the esophagus, with only 19 cases including ours, reported thus far in Japanese literatures. Thedismal prognosis makes the flexible metallic stent a good treatment option for such patients.
