Leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus in a patient with chagasic megaesophagus: case report and literature review.

Leiomyosarcoma constitutes approximately 0.5% of the malignant neoplasias of the esophagus and its association with megaesophagus has not been described. We report on a case of a woman with dysphagia that was slowly progressive from the age of 19 due to chagasic megaesophagus. The woman was subjected to cardiomyotomy at the age of 49. She presented a rapid worsening of the dysphagia due to leiomyosarcoma at the age of 61, and was subjected to subtotal esophagectomy with cervical esophagogastroplasty. She developed pulmonary and hepatic metastases 14 months after surgery and died six months later.

[A comparative study of the incidence of sudden death from Chagas' disease in Uberaba in the years 1980 and 1990]. / Estudo comparativo da freqüência da morte súbita inesperada por doença de Chagas, em Uberaba, nos anos de 1980 e 1990.

A comparison was made between the years 1980 and 1990 for the frequency and causes of sudden death occurring in the urban and rural areas of the city of Uberaba in individuals older than 15 years. It aims mainly to analyse the current frequency of sudden death in that region and to evaluate the impact, it any, of prophylaxis and therapy on sudden death due to Chagas' disease. For the 1226 deaths cases studied from our 1980, 54 (4.4%) were sudden ones; out of these, 13 (24.1%) were supposedly due to Chagas' disease. For the 1740 death cases studied form our 1990 series, 44 (2.5%) were sudden ones; out of these, only 3 (6.8%) were considered to be due to Chagas' disease. The results indicate a significant decrease in the frequency both for sudden death in general and for sudden death due to Chagas' disease when the year 1990 is compared with 1980. Probable explanations for the findings are discussed.