Leukemic infiltration of the esophagus

Esophageal motility disorders in children with dysphagia: the utility of the Chicago classification

BACKGROUND

esophageal manometry is the standard criterion for the evaluation of dysphagia and the diagnosis of a primary motor disorder of the esophagus in adults and children.

AIMS

to describe the diagnosis according to the Chicago classification (CC) v3.0 in children with dysphagia, in whom an esophageal motility disorder was documented. The associated comorbidities were also determined.

METHODS

an observational retrospective study was performed of 54 patients evaluated for dysphagia, who had undergone a high-resolution manometry (HREM).

RESULTS

a normal HREM was found in 52 % (n = 28) of the children, whereas 48 % (n = 26) had some esophageal motility disorder. The most frequent diagnosis was ineffective esophageal motility and achalasia. Excluding previously healthy children, most children had a history of autoimmune disease and intellectual disability.

CONCLUSIONS

an esophageal motor disorder can be diagnosed in nearly half of infants and children with dysphagia. In this study, all esophageal diseases could be classified according to the CC v3.0. HREM should be considered for the evaluation of children with dysphagia, in addition to other studies.

Leukemia in gastrointestinal organs as cause of treatment failure: 378 cases analyzed

Leukemia growing as tumors in gastrointestinal organs is an under-investigated cause of treatment failure and death. These present with symptoms often mistaken for common toxicities but may grow large before symptoms. To synthesize experience available only in case reports, 378 were analyzed. Invasive and metastatic behavior typical of solid GI tumors was revealed even when marrow was uninvolved. Within 3 months of diagnosis, 33% had died, 47% within 1 year. Survivals of 4 to 18 years after involvement suggest cure is possible. Evidence is presented that combined local and systemic therapy has successfully treated GI leukemic tumors when identified early.

Candida esophagitis complicated by an esophago-airway fistula: report of a case

Candida esophagitis rarely involves life-threatening complications, such as necrosis, perforation, or fistula formation between the esophagus and the airway. We herein report a case of Candida esophagitis complicated by esophagobronchial and esophagopulmonary fistulas. The patient in our study was a 70-year-old man with a 3-month history of dysphagia. Based on endoscopy and histological findings, he was diagnosed with a coinfection of Candida spp. and herpes simplex virus. Antifungal and antiviral therapy was administered without success. The esophagopulmonary fistula formation and a lung abscess were identified 7 months later. The patient was deemed intolerable to an esophagectomy due to his poor general condition, thus necessitating a two-stage operation. A cervical esophagostomy and a tube drainage of the thoracic esophagus were followed by an esophageal bypass using the pedicled jejunum via an antethoracic route. Although the lung abscess resolved, the inflammation of the esophagus persisted. A fistula between the esophagus and the left main bronchus eventually formed postoperatively and the patient died due to respiratory failure.

Tonsillar abscess formation due to herpes simplex type-1 in a severely immunocompromised stem cell transplant patient with chronic myeloid leukemia

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients such as transplant recipients and patients with hematologic malignancies. We herein describe the case of a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia blastic transformation who developed severe herpetic tonsillitis complicated by tonsillar abscess formation. Abscess formation was determined by computed tomography, whereas tonsillitis due to HSV was confirmed by pathologic and immunohistochemical examinations of the tonsillar biopsy. For molecular confirmation, HSV DNA was amplified by LightCycler PCR and type (HSV-1) determined by melting point analysis. The patient responded promptly to antiviral treatment and there were no signs of recurrent infection at the follow-up. To our knowledge, this case is unique for being the first case of tonsillar abscess formation due to HSV-1, also emphasizing the importance of herpetic infections in the differential diagnosis of oropharyngeal small-sized lesions in the immunocompromised patient population.

Infectious necrotizing esophagitis: outcome after medical and surgical intervention

BACKGROUND

Immunodeficiency predisposes to invasive esophageal infections. The treatment of perforation, respiratory fistula, and necrosis due to transmural esophageal infection is guided by anecdote. We wish to determine treatment and outcome of local complications of necrotizing esophagitis.

METHODS

We report our experience over a 7-year period and review published reports since 1976. We treated 4 patients and found 21 reported patients with perforation (11/25), fistula (8/25), and necrosis (6/25) at a mean age of 35 years. Twenty-one patients were immunodeficient (84%) due to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in 8, acute leukemia in 6, renal transplant in 3, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and corticosteroids in 1 each. Pathogenic organisms were fungal in 15 cases, viral in 7, and bacterial in 7.

RESULTS

Treatment consisted of antibiotic therapy in 13 patients and surgical intervention combined with antibiotic therapy in 12: esophagectomy in 6, esophageal stenting and drainage in 2, drainage alone in 2, and salivary diversion in 2. Overall mortality was 48% (12/25). Mortality without surgical intervention was 90% (9/10) and with surgical intervention 27% (3/11). One of 6 patients undergoing esophagectomy (17%) died. The difference in mortality was due to sepsis, which was the cause of death in 8 patients treated with medical intervention and only 1 treated with surgical intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Local complications of necrotizing esophagitis have a high mortality due to sepsis. Surgical intervention, in particular esophagectomy, controls sepsis in published case reports and should be considered in selected patients. Further study is required to determine the true prevalence of these complications and the outcome of intervention.

Cholecystitis as the presenting manifestation of acute myeloid leukemia: report of a case

We report a case of acute leukemia, which presented as cholecystitis in a previously healthy middle-aged adult. Leukemic involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is a well-known clinicopathological entity. However, leukemic infiltration of the gall bladder wall is a rare occurrence. It has only been previously described in the setting of relapsed disease and, to our knowledge, has never been reported as the primary manifestation of de novo acute leukemia. The patient in question was treated with standard induction and consolidation chemotherapy and remains in complete remission 19 months after his presentation with symptoms consistent with cholecystitis.

Two cases of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma with oesophageal involvement

We describe two cases of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) with oesophageal involvement. The first case, a 51-year-old Japanese woman with an acute subtype of ATLL, had an irregular ulcerative lesion in the distal oesophagus. The second case, a 76-year-old Japanese man with a lymphoma subtype of ATLL, had a polypoid lesion in the middle portion of the oesophagus. Both cases had gastric involvement. Biopsies from these lesions revealed mucosal invasion of ATLL cells in each case. Combination chemotherapy was ineffective in both cases. Prospective and careful examination of additional cases may eventually provide specific advice for treatment of this unusual condition.

Surgical management of necrotizing Candida esophagitis

Invasive esophageal candidiasis produced transmural necrosis leading to perforation in 2 patients aged 10 and 27 years. Both patients survived after esophageal resection and complete diversion. One patient with acute leukemia and neutropenia experienced systemic candidiasis, which resolved after esophagectomy. Esophagectomy and diversion for yeast-induced necrosis may lead to complete recovery and resolution of disseminated candidiasis when combined with systemic antifungal therapy.