Co-existence of early esophageal carcinoma and leiomyoma: a case report

There have been several reports of co-existing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal submucosal tumor. However, there is no previous report describing a submucosal tumor located within an area of early esophageal cancer. This report presents the case of a 64-year-old man who developed early esophageal cancer with leiomyoma situated within the lesion in the upper third of the esophagus. Since leiomyoma existed within the area of the esophageal cancer, it was misdiagnosed as a component of esophageal cancer and the depth of esophageal cancer invasion was overdiagnosed by endoscopic ultrasonography. Therefore, surgery was chosen as treatment for esophageal cancer. If the leiomyoma had been diagnosed correctly as a submucosal tumor by endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography, an endoscopic mucosal resection would have been the therapeutic procedure of choice for an esophageal tumor.