SCLEROSING MUCOEPIDERMOID CARCINOMA OF THE ESOPHAGUS WITH INTRAEPITHELIAL CARCINOMA OR DYSPLASTIC EPITHELIUM

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus is a particularly rare lesio n, and only 24 cases have been reported in the English literature. Usi ng histochemical methods, we identified four (3.1%) of 135 resected pr imary esophageal cancers as mucoepidermoid carcinomas. Gross examinati on of these four tumors disclosed sclerosing submucosal infiltration w ith shallow surface ulceration, which had appeared as a funnel-shaped constriction on esophagram. The intraepithelial spread of the tumor in two cases and the close relationship between foci of invading carcino ma and regions of dysplastic epithelium in the remaining two cases sug gest that esophageal mucoepidermoid carcinoma may originate in the squ amous epithelium. Although mucoepidermoid carcinoma should theoretical ly offer a fair prognosis, the outcome for patients with this lesion h as generally been as poor as patients with typical squamous cell carci noma. This further implies that mucoepidermoid carcinomas may arise fr om the squamous epithelium. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.