Introduction:
Salvage surgery for locoregional failures after definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) for esophageal cancer is widely practiced, but treatment options complementing it are also needed due to the high morbidity and mortality and low rate of curative resection.
Presentation of case:
A 58-year-old man with a surgical history of right upper lobectomy for lung cancer was diagnosed as having esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Computed tomography revealed swelling of the lesser curvature lymph node, and it had invaded the stomach, the body and tail of the pancreas and the left gastric artery, splenic artery and celiac artery. The patient underwent definitive-dose radiation with chemotherapy. Complete response was attained for the primary tumor, but the metastatic lymph node infiltrating the stomach, pancreas and major vessels remained. Therefore, the Appleby operation was proposed to the patient and subsequently performed aiming at curability. However, the primary tumor recurred 38 months after surgery, so the novel modality of photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium and a diode laser was performed, and a complete response was attained for this lesion. The patient is alive at 50 months after the salvage Appleby operation.
Discussion and conclusion:
Salvage lymphadenectomy for esophageal cancer may be insufficient as a curative treatment because of regrowth of the primary lesion. However, photodynamic therapy may be applicable as a curative treatment option for recurrence of the primary lesion after salvage lymphadenectomy.