title: Primary esophageal adenocarcinoma with distant metastasis to the skeletal muscle.
abstract: Hematogenous metastasis of esophageal adenocarcinoma to the skeletal muscle is uncommon. We report a rare case of esophageal adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the skeletal muscle. During pretherapeutic examination, a painful mass was detected in the left thigh of a 49-year-old man. Endoscopic biopsy identified poorly differentiated, advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography (CT) revealed wall thickening in the distal esophagus. Two enlarged lymph nodes were detected--the middle thoracic paraesophageal lymph node in the mediastinum and the right cardiac lymph node. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography demonstrated left thigh metastasis, which had not been detected by CT 3 weeks previously, with increased accumulation of FDG. Therefore, ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy was performed. Histologic and immunohistochemical findings supported a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The final diagnosis was primary esophageal adenocarcinoma with distant metastasis to the skeletal (left thigh) muscle. The rate of disease progression in this case emphasizes the malignant potential of esophageal adenocarcinoma. A few cases of skeletal metastasis from advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma have been previously reported. However, rapid metastasis to a distant skeletal muscle with no other hematogenous metastasis is quite rare. Early detection and rapid treatment are especially important in cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
authors.affiliation: 1 Gunma General Prefectural Cancer Center, Ohta, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sohda
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ojima
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukai
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwano
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Esophageal adenocarcinoma; Skeletal metastasis