[Esophageal carcinosarcoma treated with surgery and chemoradiotherapy-a report of 4 cases]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2013 Nov;40(12):2106-8.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

Esophageal carcinosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. We report the cases of 4 patients treated with resection and chemoradiotherapy. All patients were men (mean age, 61 years) and presented with dysphagia. Endoscopic examination revealed type 1 tumors in all patients. We planned esophagectomy with extended lymphadenectomy for all patients; however, non-curative resection was performed in 1 patient with extended lymph node metastasis. Curative resection was performed in 3 patients, all of whom showed pT1 wall invasion, and 2 had lymph node metastasis; hence, 1 case was classified as stage I and 2 as stage II. Local recurrence developed in 1 patient at 13 months after curative resection. This patient was treated with chemoradiotherapy and showed a clinical complete response. The patient remains alive without recurrence. The other 2 patients showed no recurrence. Therefore, 3 patients who underwent curative resection survived for more than 5 years. The other patient who underwent non-curative resection died of multiple organ metastasis 111 days after surgery. Because protuberant esophageal carcinosarcoma causes symptoms such as dysphagia, this disease can be diagnosed earlier than esophageal cancer; however, lymph node metastasis at diagnosis is frequently encountered. Surgery with extended lymphadenectomy for esophageal carcinosarcoma results in better prognosis, and chemoradiotherapy is as effective for recurrence as for esophageal cancer.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinosarcoma / therapy*
  • Chemoradiotherapy*
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Fluorouracil / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging

Substances

  • Cisplatin
  • Fluorouracil