A patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus developed fatal aortoesophageal (AE) fistula following a preoperative course of combined chemotherapy plus radiation therapy. This is the first reported case of AE fistula following preoperative chemoradiotherapy. This complication is potentially correctable if suspected early, since the massive hemorrhage characteristic of AE fistula is usually preceded by an initial sentinel hemorrhage. The cause of this complication is not clear, but it may be due to inflammation of the vasa vasorum with necrosis of the aortic wall. The concomitant use of fluorouracil and cisplatin with radiation therapy acts as a radiosensitizer and may have potentiated the radiation effect on the aortic wall.
Background. Small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare type of pancreatic neoplasm.
Methods. The authors report the clinical and pathologic aspects of a patient with this malignant lesion and an extensive serologic and immunohistochemical survey of potential ectopically produced hormones or tumor markers.
Results. Neuron‐specific enolase (NSE) emerged as a tumor marker.
Conclusions. NSE could be valuable in the diagnosis and management of other patients with this rare disease.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.