Achalasia of the esophagus in association with renal cell carcinoma.

A case of secondary achalasia due to renal cell carcinoma is presented. The patient presented with typical clinical, radiologic, and manometric features of achalasia, and was found to have a renal cell carcinoma with metastases to lymph nodes in the region of the cardioesophageal junction. Direct esophageal involvement could not be demonstrated, however. Complete symptomatic remission was obtained with a single hydrostatic balloon dilatation of the cardioesophageal junction and was maintained until the patient's death 7 months later, perhaps as a result of regression of paraesophageal nodal metastases following radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy.