Giant Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of Esophagus

Abstract

A 55-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of dysphagia and weight loss for 1 year. A barium examination indicated a filling defect in the thoracic esophagus (Figs 1A and 1B), and computed tomographic chest reconstruction showed a long-column mass in the region described. An endoscopic examination revealed marked stenosis with a smooth surface and diffuse esophageal wall elevation (Fig 1C; Inset: mini-picture of Fig 1C, which was captured by endoscopy in the process of operation). An endoscopic ultrasound of the esophagus showed a submucosal heterogeneous mass with a clear margin in the thoracic esophagus. A giant neoplasm was successfully removed by opening the esophagus (Fig 2A). Microscopically, the tumor consisted of a mixture of fibroblastic cells and inflammatory cells (Fig 2B). Immunohistochemistry staining showed the tumor was positive for smooth muscle actin, and was negative for CD34, CD117, and S-100. Histology characteristic of the neoplasm supports a diagnosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. The patient recovered with an uneventful postoperative course. We believe that inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the esophagus similar to this case has never been reported before.