Perforating oesophageal carcinoma presenting as necrotizing fasciitis of the neck

A patient with a history of schizophrenia was admitted to our hospital in an already severe stage of necrotizing fasciitis of the neck, complicated with mediastinitis and gangrene. Later on, he also developed a vena cava superior syndrome and sepsis. In the few cases and small series described in the literature, necrotizing fasciitis of the neck is usually associated with surgery or trauma. Less frequently, an orodental or pharyngeal infection, often innocuous, is the underlying cause. None of these causes could be identified in our patient. Initially, on computer-assisted tomography (CT) scan, a tracheal rupture was suspected, but this diagnosis could not be confirmed on bronchoscopic examination. On gastroscopy, a stenotic oesophageal segment was discovered. Biopsy of this segment showed a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The patient died in sepsis. Autopsy confirmed the presence of a large proximal oesophageal tumour with perforation. As far as we know, no case of a necrotizing fasciitis of the neck caused by perforation of a formerly unknown oesophageal carcinoma has been reported. Even mediastinitis, with or without gangrene, is rarely associated with oesophageal cancer, and in the few cases reported it is always due to fistulization after surgery.