Basaloid-squamous carcinoma of the esophagus treated by preoperative chemotherapy: report of two cases

Basaloid squamous carcinoma (BSC) of the esophagus has been associated with a poor outcome after surgery. We herein report two patients with esophageal BSC treated by preoperative chemotherapy. Patient 1 was a 55-year-old man who presented with a tumor of the middle esophagus diagnosed as BSC. He was treated by chemotherapy using a combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU: 750 mg/m(2), 1st-5th day, 24-h continuous infusion) and cisplatin (CDDP: 75 mg/m(2), 1st day, drip infusion per 2 h) before surgery, because of lymph node metastases of the mediastinum and around the left gastric artery. Even though the metastatic nodes were reduced and an esophagectomy was performed, the patient died of recurrence 12 months after chemotherapy. Patient 2 was a 57-year-old man who demonstrated BSC of the esophagus with direct invasion to the discending aorta, who was treated by preoperative chemotherapy using the same regimen as that of patient 1. The esophageal tumor was reduced, and a curative esophagectomy was performed. The patient is now alive without recurrence 38 months after chemotherapy. In conclusion, preoperative chemotherapy using a combination of 5-FU and CDDP may thus be an effective treatment for patients with advanced BSC of the esophagus.