A case of solitary squamous cell carcinoma of the axillary lymph node found after early esophageal cancer surgery

Abstract

A 67-year-old man was operated on due to the presence of early esophageal cancer and early gastric cancer in November 2004. On postoperative pathology, a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus with an invasion depth of m3 (mm), and a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach with an invasion depth of m was diagnosed. No metastases to the mediastinal or abdominal lymph nodes were noted. In the 30th postoperative month, left axillary lymphadenopathy was found ; a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed on biopsy. No other lesions were found anywhere else ; therefore a left axillary lymph node dissection was performed since a localized carcinoma of the left axillary region was suspected. No radiation therapy or chemotherapy was given. The patient has been followed for about 30 months after the lymph node surgery ; no recurrence has been detected. It is very rare that an early esophageal cancer patient develops an isolated axillary nodal metastasis.