Varicoid adenocarcinoma of the esophagus: case report

Varicoid swellings resemble a varix, or an enlarged and convoluted vessel. Varicoid or superficial spreading carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare condition demonstrating an appearance similar to esophageal varices and as such can be misdiagnosed. In the majority of cases they tend to be squamous cell carcinomas. We present only the second reported case of a patient with varicoid adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. In the absence of chronic liver disease, we advocate that variceal lesions within the esophagus should be regarded with a high index of suspicion for possible varicoid esophageal cancer.