Primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus: Case presentation and review of the literature

Abstract

A case of primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus is presented. The clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings of our case and 72 other cases were reviewed. The most common presenting symptoms were weight loss and dysphagia. Eighty percent were larger than 4 cm at presentation and 97% were in the mid to distal esophagus. The esophageal tumors were identical histologically to small cell carcinoma of the lung. Esophageal luminal widening on esophagram has been found to be more common in nonsquamous cell carcinomas. While rare, small cell carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of primary esophageal tumors, particularly in the presence of these findings.

Primary small‐cell carcinoma of the oesophagus with spontaneous oesophageal perforation following chemotherapy

“…Small-cell carcinoma of the oesophagus is an uncommon and aggressive tumour comprising approximately 2% of all primary oesophageal cancers.' These tumours are thought to arise from oesophageal neuroendocrine APUD (amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation) cells, just as small-cell carcinoma of the lung arises from APUD cells of the bronchial wak2 Some authors believe that small-cell cancers arise from multipotential stem cells in the oesophageal m u~o s a .~ Most patients succumb to metastatic disease quickly; the 1 -year survival rate is less than 1 Treatment iS Similar to that of pulmonary small-Cell Carcinoma, and consists of combination chemotherapy followed by radi~therapy.~.~ The radiologic appearance of small-cell carcinoma of the oesophagus is variable. Mulder et a/.…”

Hyperthermochemoradiotherapy is effective for small cell carcinoma of the esophagus

“…Less common sites of gastrointestinal involvement include the salivary glands, stomach, small bowel, colorectum, and pancreas [5]. About 150 cases of primary esophageal small cell carcinoma have been reported in the English language literature [6]. The incidence of this disease ranges from 0.8%-2.4% in esophageal malignant tumors [ 7lo].…”

Cáncer de esófago a células pequeñas Comunicación de un caso clínico y revisión de la literatura

“…Los autores americanos reportan una incidencia de más del 2 %, en tanto que para los autores japoneses, la incidencia es más elevada, llegando al 9 %. Todo lo anterior nos hace pensar, que la incidencia actual de esta neoplasia es mayor de la que se pensaba y que el conocimiento de su existencia mejorará su diagnóstico (7).…”