[Bronchogenic cyst. A rare benign esophageal tumor]. / Die bronchogene Zyste. Eine seltener benigner Osophagustumor.

A case of confirmed esophageal bronchogenic cyst is reported. We review the clinical and pathologic features of this rare congenital foregut anomaly, and emphasize its radiographic appearances with special reference to differential diagnosis.

A novel hypothesis: specific oncogenes and tumor suppression genes are involved in the expression of the proopiomelanocortin gene by small cell lung cancer.

The endogenous opioid beta-endorphin, a derivative of proopiomelanocortin, stimulates the growth of cloned human small cell lung carcinoma. The present hypothesis states that mutations of the retinoblastoma gene (a tumor suppressor gene) associated to the malignant transformation of bronchial cells would trigger a cascade of biomolecular events leading to 'de novo' proopiomelanocortin expression in small cell lung carcinoma.