Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a case report.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) of the esophagus is an extremely rare tumor which should be differentiated from adenoid cystic and small cell undifferentiated carcinoma. We present the case of a 48-year-old male patient with esophageal BSCC. This tumor has specific histological features which may be difficult to recognize by small endoscopic biopsy examination. In our patient the surgical specimen revealed BSCC with an aggressive pattern (invasion of the whole esophageal wall thickness, lymph node metastases and intraneural spread). We proposed chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery, which resulted in a survival of 17 months.