Long-term disease-free survival after resection of recurrent tumor of esophageal cancer with surrounding multiple visceral organs: A case report

Abstract

Background: The benefit of resecting recurrent tumor after curative esophagectomy for esophageal cancer remains unclear, especially when it requires resection of multiple visceral organs. Case presentation: A 56-year-old male patient with previous history of surgical treatment for esophageal achalasia 21 years before was referred to our hospital for treatment of lower thoracic esophageal cancer. He underwent a thoracoscopic esophagectomy and laparoscopic gastric mobilization with curative intent. Nine months after the operation, abdominal computed tomography revealed an intraperitoneal abscess formed along the distal part of the splenic artery. Percutaneous drainage of the abscess and cytological examination diagnosed the tumor as recurrent squamous cell carcinoma from the esophageal cancer. For symptom alleviation and potential cure, the recurrent nodule together with the pancreatic tail, spleen, and left adrenal grand were resected. The pathological examination confirmed recurrent esophageal cancer at the splenic hilar. Three years later, the patient remains disease free. Conclusion: We experienced a case with metastatic recurrence of lower thoracic esophageal cancer to the hilar of the spleen. When tumor recurrence of esophageal cancer is solitary, an aggressive surgical treatment with multiple-organ resection potentially results in long-term disease-free survival in selected patients.