CARCINOMA ARISING WITHIN EPIPHRENIC DIVERTICULA - A REPORT OF 2 CASESAND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Two patients with squamous cell carcinoma arising within an epiphrenic diverticulum are reported, bringing the total reported in the English -language literature to fifteen. The majority of patients with carcino ma arising in an epiphrenic diverticulum are elderly males who have be en symptomatic for years with a known diverticulum. This is the first report of multiple cases of carcinoma within an epiphrenic diverticulu m from a single institution and the first report in a female patient. Similar to other reports, these two patients presented with several mo nths of symptoms related to their esophageal diverticulum. It is impor tant to entertain the diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma early in the e valuation of patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of epiphrenic diverticula as early intervention may be tile only chance of cure.