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Paraneoplastic vasculitis associated with esophageal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Mita Toshihiro,
Nakanishi Yukihiro,
Ochiai Atsushi,
Shimoda Tadakazu,
Kato Hoichi,
Yamaguchi Hajime,
Toda Gotaro
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1827.1999.00925.x
Subject(s) - medicine , esophagus , vasculitis , carcinoma , pathology , esophagectomy , lymph node , stomach , cancer , esophageal cancer , gastroenterology , disease
We report a case of esophageal carcinoma associated with paraneoplastic vasculitis. A 69‐year‐old man suffered from low‐grade fever and numbness of the lower limbs for 3 months before esophageal and gastric carcinomas were detected. Concurrent infection or collagen disease was ruled out following clinical and laboratory examinations. In April 1996, the gastric carcinoma was completely removed by endoscopic mucosal resection, but the symptoms remained. Three weeks later esophagectomy was performed for esophageal carcinoma after which time the fever and numbness disappeared. The esophageal carcinoma was a well‐differentiated squamous cell carcinoma invading into the submucosal layer. Twenty‐two lymph node metastases were found in 68 resected lymph nodes. Latent thyroid cancer was found. Histologically, vasculitis was detected in the esophagus, stomach and serratus anterior muscle. The distribution and degree of vasculitis were most pronounced in the esophagus. The concurrent onset and spontaneous resolution of fever and numbness after the removal of the esophageal carcinoma suggested a paraneoplastic origin. The majority of patients with malignant neoplasm‐associated vasculitis had hematologic neoplasms. Cases of esophageal carcinoma associated with paraneoplastic vasculitis are extremely rare.