A Case of Synchronous Double Cancer of Esophageal Cancer and Thymic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Resected Surgically

Abstract

A 62-year-old man who visited a previous hospital because of a sensation of food sticking in the throat was detected to have esophageal cancer, and was referred to our hospital for the purpose of treatment in October 2011. CT scan revealed a tumor in the anterior mediastinum, and then close examination was conducted. As a result, synchronous double cancer consisting of esophageal cancer and thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma was diagnosed. As the neoadjuvant chemotherapy we employed the DCF therapy (5-fluorouracil + docetaxel + cisplatin), which is a regimen for esophageal cancer. The DCF therapy resulted in remarkable shrinkage of both neoplastic tumors. Operative procedures included subtotal esophagectomy, thymectomy, and partial pneumonectomy in a one-stage approach, leading to radical resection. No other treatments were added after the operation. The patient has been free from recurrence as of one year and six months after the operation.
Reports on synchronous double cancer of esophageal cancer and thymnic endocrine carcinoma are extremely rare so that we present this rare case together with a review of the literature.