[Oat-cell carcinoma of the esophagus: presentation of two cases and literature review]. / Carcinoma oat-cell de esófago: presentación de dos casos y actualización bibliográfica.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to contribute an updated view on a condition as rare as oat-cell carcinoma of the esophagus by reviewing the literature and reporting two recent patients seen in our department. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective study with a review of all medical records of patients seen in our ward and diagnosed with esophageal neoplasm for 6 years (January 2000 to December 2006). RESULTS: 249 cases of esophageal neoplasms were found, of them 106 were of squamous ancestry (42.6%), 141 were adenocarcinomas (56.6%), and 2 were oat-cell carcinomas (0.8%). Only in 45 (18%) was surgical resection feasible, 23 underwent palliative surgery (endoprostheses, gastrostomies, and jejunostomies not included) (9.3%), and the rest (181 cases, 72.7%) received derivative surgery or no surgery at all. CONCLUSIONS: We can affirm that this neoplasm is highly aggressive, displaying in practically all cases dissemination to other sites; this is a rare cancer that mainly affects men and whose clinical picture is similar to that of other malignancies involving the esophagus.

Hemobilia secondary to chronic cholecystitis.

The term hemobilia is used to describe the presence of blood in the biliary tract. We report a case of symptomatic hemobilia associated with chronic cholecystitis in a 57-year-old man with jaundice, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and epigastric pain. We review the etiology of this condition and highlight the role of abdominal ultrasonography in its diagnosis. In our case, abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of clots inside the gallbladder. The clinical condition was resolved by means of a cholecystectomy. The patient had an uneventful recovery.