Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014848 (achalasia)
 2,804 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Among 156 patients with achalasia who were treated during a 13 year period, two developed squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The first, a 33-year-old man, developed a carcinoma of the upper third of the esophagus 2 years after the onset of symptoms of achalasia. He was treated by a Heller myotomy and radiation therapy and survived 16.7 months. The second, a 60-year-old man, had had symptoms of achalasia for 15 years. He is alive with suspected recurrence 6 months after undergoing esophagogastrectomy for a carcinoma of the middle and lower thirds. A summary of the literature regarding carcinoma complicating achalasia is presented. This indicates that carcinoma arises in at least 1 to 7 per cent of patients with achalasia. Delay in diagnosis is common. The treatment need not differ from that of carcinoma without a chalasia, but the prognosis is dismal. Since there is evidence that retention esophagitis is a premalignant condition, it should be possible to prevent the development of carcinoma in achalasia by early cardiomyotomy in cases in which hydrostatic dilatation is not completely effective. A plea is made for closer surveillance of patients with achalasia so that, if carcinoma supervenes, it may be detected at an early stage.
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PMID:The association of carcinoma of the esophagus with achalasia. 111 27

Early esophageal cancer (EEC) accounted for only seven (4.7%) of 148 cases of esophageal cancer diagnosed at the authors' hospital between 1977 and 1984. Two patients with EEC had squamous cell carcinoma and five had adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's mucosa. All seven patients had associated clinical findings, including low-grade gastrointestinal bleeding (three cases), odynophagia (one case), and chronic reflux symptoms due to underlying reflux esophagitis and Barrett esophagus (three cases). Since Barrett esophagus is a premalignant condition, the high proportion of adenocarcinomas in this series presumably reflects the more frequent radiologic evaluation of symptomatic patients with Barrett esophagus. On esophagography, four patients had 3-4.5-cm polypoid intraluminal masses that could not be distinguished radiographically from advanced esophageal carcinoma. In the other three patients, esophagrams revealed secondary achalasia, irregular flattening of the esophageal wall, and diffuse nodularity of the mucosa. The authors conclude that "early" esophageal cancers are not necessarily small cancers, since they may undergo considerable intraluminal or intramural growth and still be classified histologically as EEC. Radiologists should be aware of these findings, since EEC has an excellent prognosis with a 5-year survival approaching 90%.
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PMID:Early esophageal cancer. 348 67

A 56-year-old woman underwent a laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation for esophageal achalasia in June 2002. As dysphagia became exacerbated and the oral intake became extremely poor, an esophagectomy was thus considered to be indicated. In September 2005, a transhiatal esophagectomy was performed, and the esophagus was reconstructed using a gastric tube through the posterior mediastinum. The patient developed pneumonia postoperatively, but responded to conservative therapy and was discharged in good health 30 days after surgery. A histopathological analysis demonstrated degeneration and a loss of gangliocytes throughout the esophagus as well as the presence of seven intramucosal cancers. The main cause of dysphagia was due to a marked flexion of the upper esophagus. Even though we identified a precancerous state, we believe that surgery was an appropriate option in this case.
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PMID:Achalasia complicated by multiple intramucosal carcinomas: report of a case. 1787 43

The following, from the 12th OESO World Conference: Cancers of the Esophagus, includes commentaries on the role of salivary stimulation and esophageal secretion of protective factors in prevention of adenocarcinoma sequelae in gastroesophageal reflux disease; the pediatric conditions associated with esophageal cancer; the relationship of achalasia and pseudoachalasia with esophageal cancer; the potential for malignant transformation in eosinophilic esophagitis and overlap syndromes; the role of lymphocytic esophagitis as an overlapping phenotype; the role of Barrett's esophagus as a premalignant condition; the indications and type of treatment of premalignant conditions of the esophagus; and the decision for use of endoscopical procedures in premalignant conditions of the esophagus.
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PMID:Benign and precursor lesions in the esophagus. 2526 28