| Abstract: |
Benign tumors and tumor-like lesions of the esophagus are rare. Recent studies have shown that lesions previously considered reactive, such as giant fibrovascular polyps, are in fact neoplastic and represent atypical lipomatous tumors of the esophagus. Esophageal adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor in the Western population and arises in a background of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) in almost all cases. However, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is more common worldwide than adenocarcinoma. Poorly differentiated carcinomas involving the esophagus need to be separated into squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine carcinomas because of important therapeutic implications. A subset of SCCs may also show sarcomatoid differentiation and are designated spindle cell carcinoma. Early-stage esophageal carcinomas can now be treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), but deeply invasive tumors require neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by surgical resection. Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, malignant melanomas, lymphomas, and sarcomas may also occur as esophageal primaries, but are incredibly rare. Mesenchymal tumors, such as granular cell tumor and gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumor, occur with some frequency in the esophagus and are discussed under mesenchymal tumors in Chapter 7. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
