Long-term survival after thoracoscopic enucleation of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor arising from the esophagus

Abstract

The goal of surgical treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the complete resection of the tumor. A 62-year-old male had a clearly distinguishable mass having a smooth surface at the right side of the lower esophagus by computed tomography. Thoracoscopic resection of the tumor was performed. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumor was positive for c-KIT and CD34 without mitosis, and diagnosed to be a low-risk GIST. At 6 years after surgery, the patient survived without recurrence. This study described the long-term surviving patient without the recurrence of tumor after the thoracoscopic resection of an esophageal GIST.

Figure 1:

Chest CT of a 62-year-old male. The white arrow head indicates a clearly distinguishable mass having a smooth surface at the right side of the lower esophagus.

Figure 2:

Endoscopic examination and endoscopic ultrasonography. (a) Tumor with a normally appearing mucosa was located 40 cm from the incisor teeth. (b) Hypoechoic submucosal tumor (asterisk) with annular localization, arising from the submucosal layer.

Figure 3:

Thoracoscopic view of the tumor. The image shows bulging through the right thoracic cavity. The black dash line and asterisk indicate the GIST; D, the diaphragm; VD, the vertebral body.

Figure 4:

Histological specimens prepared from the removed GIST. The left and right microphotographs were taken at a magnification of ×40. (a) Hematoxylin and eosin-stained specimen showed spindle cells. (b) Immunohistochemical-stained specimen showed that the cells were positive for c-KIT.