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Primary undifferentiated small cell carcinoma of the esophagus: Clinicopathological and flow cytometric evaluation of eight cases
Author(s) -
Isolauri Jouko,
Mattila Jorma,
Kallioniemi OlliPekka
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.2930460310
Subject(s) - medicine , esophagus , chemotherapy , carcinoma , flow cytometry , gastroenterology , esophageal disease , pathology , oncology , surgery , immunology
We present a clinicopathological and flow cytometric evaluation of eight primary small cell carcinomas of the esophagus representing 1.5% of all esophageal malignancies diagnosed during a 22‐year period (1965–1987) in the Tampere University Central Hospital. The mean age of the patients (four male and four female) was 67 years (range 55–75 years). Five cases had distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. Three patients were treated by esophageal resection, one by laser vaporisation, and four by chemotherapy. The median survival time was 4 months (range 9 days to 8 months). A complete local response to chemotherapy in serial esophagogramms was detected in one patient. All four patients given chemotherapy survived longer than those treated with esophageal resection only. Four (67%) of the six carcinomas analyzed by DNA flow cytometry contained DNA‐aneuploid stemlines. The median S‐phase fraction of these small cell carcinomas was high (16.3%), reflecting rapid cell proliferation rate, which may be related to their responsiveness to chemotherapy.