Infiltrating granular cell tumor of the esophagus: a description of two cases

Granular cell tumor of the esophagus is an unusual tumor. It presents usually as a small and well limited lesion, localized in the mucosa or the submucosa. We report two cases of granular cell tumor of the esophagus, remarkable for their infiltrative growth. The tumor invaded the esophageal muscularis propria in one case and went through the adventitia in the other. There was no recurrence 1 year and 7 years after surgery, despite an incomplete resection in the second case. Thirteen cases of infiltrative granular cell tumors of the esophagus have been published. They are usually responsible for dysphagia. They can invade the muscularis propria and the adventitia as well as the periesophageal organs. There is no recurrence, even after an incomplete resection. The infiltrative feature of the granular cell tumors of the esophagus, by itself, cannot be considered as a malignant feature. The diagnosis of malignant granular cell tumor of the esophagus lies on the discover of metastases.