title: Bizarre Stromal Cells in the Esophagus: A New Case.
abstract: Esophageal bizarre stromal cells (BSCs) represent an important diagnostic pitfall, since they can closely resemble a malignancy, thus leading to a significant overtreatment. We recently encountered a case in a healthy 38-year-old man, with a normal blood count, who underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the follow-up of a grade I esophagitis and hiatus hernia. The endoscopy revealed an ulcerated sessile polyp that, on histology, consisted of a proliferation of round atypical discohesive cells, with a variable amount of cytoplasm, large nuclei, and prominent eosinophilic nucleoli. They were intermingled with many granulocytes and plump vessels, in a background of granulation tissue. Immunohistochemical stains with pan-cytokeratin, S100, and CD31 were negative and Ki67 stained only very few nuclei. At variance with other anatomical sites and despite the putative fibroblastic or myofibroblastic origin, BSCs in esophagus can have a striking epithelioid appearance, mimicking a carcinoma or a melanoma. Awareness of BSCs can prevent serious misdiagnoses.
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy Simonetta.piana@asmn.re.it.
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piana
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valli
authors.affiliation: Ospedale C. Magati, Scandiano, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto Igino
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Sacchero
mesh_terms: D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011127:Polyps / Q000473:pathology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: bizarre; esophagus; stromal cells