Unusual Esophageal Tumors

Andrew Tang, MD, Varun Puri, MD, MSCI, Alejandro Bribriesco, MD

Key Points

  • Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma comprise 98% of all esophageal tumors. The remaining 2% of tumors include a wide range of diagnoses.
  • Leiomyomas are the most common benign esophageal tumor and can potentially be resected endoscopically depending on the size and location of the tumor.
  • Presenting symptoms of unusual esophageal tumors are often similar to adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
  • Diagnosis is usually made after surgical resection, however endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) can be a useful tool to help diagnose these rare tumors before surgical resection (Figure 1).
  • While endoscopic resection of rare malignant lesions is not recommended.

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