Department of Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
Department of Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.;
Anticancer Res. 2021 Jun;41(6):3023-3027. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15084.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Small cell cancer of the esophagus (SCCE) is an extremely rare entity with an aggressive clinical course, thus early diagnosis and treatment are important for improved survival.
A 35-year-old male presented with dysphagia, loss of appetite and weight loss. Diagnostic workup revealed an esophageal mass, which was diagnosed as primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) on initial biopsy. Despite receiving rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) chemotherapy for 3 months, there was an interval increase in the size of the esophagus mass, which unveiled underlying SCCE. A re-review of the previous biopsy specimen with immunohistochemical staining confirmed the initial diagnosis as SCCE as well. Despite 4 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the malignancy progressed and proved fatal.
SCCE and non-Hodgkin lymphomas are rare entities, whose morphologies can be diagnostically challenging, hence they require special immunostaining for accurate diagnosis. Prompt diagnosis and initiation of treatment can confer better quality of life and survival.
背景/目的：食管小细胞癌（SCCE）是一种极为罕见的实体肿瘤，具有侵袭性的临床病程，因此早期诊断和治疗对于提高生存率至关重要。
一名 35 岁男性因吞咽困难、食欲不振和体重减轻而就诊。诊断性检查发现食管肿块，初次活检诊断为原发性非霍奇金淋巴瘤（NHL）。尽管接受了利妥昔单抗、环磷酰胺、多柔比星、长春新碱和泼尼松（R-CHOP）化疗 3 个月，但食管肿块的大小仍有间隔性增大，揭示了潜在的 SCCE。重新复习最初的活检标本并进行免疫组织化学染色，证实了最初的诊断为 SCCE。尽管接受了 4 个周期的铂类化疗和放疗，恶性肿瘤仍进展并导致死亡。
SCCE 和非霍奇金淋巴瘤是罕见的实体肿瘤，其形态学可能具有诊断挑战性，因此需要特殊的免疫染色以进行准确诊断。及时诊断和开始治疗可以提高生活质量并延长生存期。
