title: A rare case of primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus.
abstract: A 67-year-old female with heartburn presented to a local clinic. She underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and was then referred to our hospital for further treatment. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a slightly depressed lesion with a wall deformity at the middle thoracic esophagus, 32 cm from the incisor. A biopsy specimen showed adenocarcinomatous change. She underwent subtotal esophagectomy with 3-field lymph node dissection. A pathological examination revealed a15-mm diameter tumor that had invaded the submucosal layer. The histological type was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). No recurrence has been identified at 24 months postoperatively. The incidence of MEC of the salivary glands is high, but the incidence of MEC of the esophagus is extremely low. Here, we report a case of esophageal MEC treated in the early stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Pathology, Saitama Medical Center, Jichi Medical University, Amanuma 1-847, Omiya, Saitama, 330-8503, Japan, hkiyo@omiya.jichi.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiyozaki
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Obitsu
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ishioka
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiruta
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rikiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018277:Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D005260:Female; D006356:Heartburn / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision