An elderly case of esophageal small cell carcinoma responding to chemoradiotherapy

Abstract

An elderly man with dysphagia was referred to our hospital due to a type 3 lesion in the middle thoracic esophagus. A computed tomography showed no metastasis but a partial infiltration to the adjacent aorta. Histology of the biopsy specimen showed sheet-like proliferation of rather light-colored rounded cells in HE staining and synaptophysin and CD56 expression by immunostaining. He was diagnosed as neuroendocrine carcinoma (small cell carcinoma) in cStage IVa and planned to receive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) . As for chemotherapy, combination of carboplatin and etoposide was used according to the regimen of lung small cell carcinoma, but the doses were reduced to 70 % considering his age. Due to granulocytopenia, the chemotherapy was quitted after only one course, however radiotherapy could be completed. Lesions markedly decreased in size and the tumor markers also decreased drastically by the treatment and we evaluated its response as PR.