Undifferentiated carcinoma (non-small cell type) with lymphoid stroma of the esophagus

Abstract

We report a case of undifferentiated carcinoma (non-small cell type) with lymphoid stroma of the esophagus. A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for esophageal tumor. Esophagoscopy revealed a protruding lesion with a central ulcer, and endoscopic biopsy showed it to be an adenocarcinoma. Thus, the patient was preoperatively diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and was treated with subtotal esophagectomy. A diagnois of undifferentiated carcinoma with lymphoid stroma of the esophagus (non-small cell type) was made on the basis of the findings of pathologic tests of specimens. Postoperative chemoradiotherapy was not performed ; mediastinal lymph node and lung metastases were confirmed at 2 years after the operation. The patient responded to chemo radiotherapy but died at 53 months sfter the operation. We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed 21 cases of undifferentiated carcinoma of the esophagus (non-small cell type) and 3 cases of lymphoid stroma in the Japanese literature.