1998 Volume 59 Issue 7 Pages 1829-1832
This is to report a case of basaloid-squamous carcinoma of the esophagus which is rare. A 67-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for the purpose of therapy. Esophagography revealed a lesion at Imlu, and an endoscopy demonstrated an uneven elevated lesion on the posterior wall of the esophagus 27-31cm from the incisors. A basaloid-squamous carcinoma was diagnosed by a biopsy and a total thoracic esophagectomy was performed. The resected material showed a 4.0×3.0cm type 1 lesion with an unevent surface. The histopathological diagnosis was esophageal basaloid-squamous carcinoma (a2, n2, stage III). Electron micrograph showed replicated basement membranes. Postoperative recombinant chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was conducted, but a lung metastasis occurred 16 months after the operation. Eventually the patient died of brain metastasis 22 months after the surgery, in spite of chemotherapy. Advanced basaloid-squamous carcinoma is generally thought to have a poor prognosis. Discovery and therapy of basoloid-squamous carcinomas in an early stage are important to improve the prognosis.