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Small cell carcinoma of the esophagus
Author(s) -
Mori Masaki,
Matsukuma Akito,
Adachi Yosuke,
Miyagahara Toshiro,
Matsuda Hiroyuki,
Kuwano Hiroyuki,
Sugimachi Keizo,
Enjoji Munetomo
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19890201)63:3<564::aid-cncr2820630328>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - pathology , esophagus , medicine , carcinoma , anaplastic carcinoma , cribriform , small cell carcinoma , immunohistochemistry , lesion , cell , anatomy , biology , genetics
Ten cases of small cell carcinoma of the esophagus were studied clinicopathologically and immunohis‐tochemical. Seven of the ten were also examined by electron microscopy. Histologically, six were oat cell type, four the intermediate cell type, and multiple histologic sections revealed squamous and glandular differentiations in small or minute areas of seven and two tumors, respectively. In four of the six polypoid tumors, the epithelium covering the tumor showed a malignant conversion accompanied by a proliferation of small anaplastic cells. Another one showed a cribriform pattern in a small area of the tumor. Argyrophic tumor cells were seen in six cases and tumor cells immunohistochemically positive for ACTH and calcitonin were seen in six, and three cases, respectively. Neurosecretory granules were evident in three of the seven cases examined by electron microscopy. These findings suggest that a small cell carcinoma of the esophagus differentiates toward a squamous, glandular, or neurosecretory lesion, thereby supporting the idea of a totipotential stem cell origin of this tumor. The prognosis of patients with this tumor was poor, in accord with the evidence of aggressive lymphatic and blood vessel permeation.