[Esophageal stricture following complete remission after chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma in an elderly patient]

A 75-year-old woman was given a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma (non-Hodgkin, diffuse large B cell type, stage IIA) at our hospital on August 2003. She received six courses of rituximab-based chemotherapy (R-CHOP regimen) and then she achieved complete remission. On August 16, 2004, she was readmitted in our hospital for difficulty in swallowing. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy reveled esophageal stricture and an ulcerative lesion on the esophageal mucosa. The X-ray examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract reveled a severe esophageal stricture with niches and hiatus hernia. No malignancy was seen on CT scanning, gallium radioisotope scanning and histological examination of biopsy specimens with the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The physical examination showed gibbosity, and MR imaging showed multiple compression spined fractures. Finally, we diagnosed benign esophageal stricture with reflux esophagitis. She underwent laparoscopic partial esophagectomy in September 21, 2004, and the postoperative course was satisfactory. The pathological findings showed benign esophageal stricture caused by esophagitis. We report here a case of esophageal stricture following complete remission after chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma in an elderly patient.