Endotracheal metastasis from basaloid squamous carcinoma of the esophagus

Endobronchial metastases from extrapulmonary neoplasms are rare events, and there is no report in the literature of metastasis originating from esophageal cancer. Basaloid squamous carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare histologic type that is known to be a biologically aggressive phenotype. We describe a rare case of metachronous endotracheal metastasis originating from esophageal basaloid squamous carcinoma. A 72-year-old Japanese man underwent esophagectomy for stage I esophageal cancer. Pathological diagnosis of the resected specimen was basaloid squamous carcinoma. One year later, a follow-up computed tomography scan displayed a tumor shadow in the tracheal wall. Bronchoscopy revealed a protruding tumor in the tracheal wall, and the pathologic diagnosis of the biopsy specimen was also basaloid squamous carcinoma. According to the diagnosis of metachronous endobronchial metastasis from esophageal basaloid squamous carcinoma, we treated the patient with chemotherapy comprising docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil followed by chemoradiotherapy, and complete response was achieved. The patient has not suffered a recurrence of the disease for 23 months since the diagnosis of the endobronchial tumor. Careful follow-up is needed to ensure that rare types of metastasis are not missed in cases with biologically aggressive tumors.