title: Intramural esophageal tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intramural esophageal tumors (IET) are located between unchanged mucous membrane and muscularis mucosae. They can be both benign and malignant.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties of IET.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the years 2010-2015, 11 patients with IET were treated in our clinic. Diagnostics included gastroscopy, computed tomography of the chest, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle biopsy, and positron emission tomography (PET) of the esophagus in cases with no histopathological confirmation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the conducted analysis we diagnosed 1 case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), 1 case of adenocarcinoma, and 2 cases of esophageal cysts. In another 7 cases radiological images resembled leiomyoma but with no histopathological confirmation. Esophagectomy was performed in 2 cases of malignant tumors and 1 case of a large benign tumor. In other cases surgical enucleation of tumors was performed. Postoperatively we diagnosed 6 cases of leiomyoma, 1 case of schwannoma, 2 esophageal cysts, 1 case of GIST and 1 of esophageal cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intramural esophageal tumors is a very diverse group of tumors, both malignant and benign. In every case of IET we should seek histopathological conformation. Treatment of IET depends on localization, size and histopathological type of lesion.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Thoracic Surgery and Respiratory Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz, M. Copernicus Provincial Specialist Hospital, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Łochowski
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Thoracic Surgery and Respiratory Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz, M. Copernicus Provincial Specialist Hospital, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Thoracic Surgery and Respiratory Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz, M. Copernicus Provincial Specialist Hospital, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rębowski
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Thoracic Surgery and Respiratory Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz, M. Copernicus Provincial Specialist Hospital, Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Józef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kozak
keywords: diagnostics; intramural esophageal tumors; treatment