A submucosal tumor-like recurrence of early esophageal cancer after endoscopic submucosal dissection

Early esophageal cancer is defined as a tumor invading the mucosa with or without lymph node or distant organ metastasis. In the current guidelines for early esophageal cancer, absolute indication for endoscopic resection include lesions limited to the epithelium or lamina propria mucosa not exceeding two-thirds of the circumference, and relative indications include lesions limited to the muscularis mucosa or the upper third of the submucosal layer and not accompanied by clinical evidence of lymph node metastasis. After endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal cancer, locally recurrent cancer can occur, especially in the case of incomplete resection. Here, we report a rare case of a submucosal tumor-like recurrence after endoscopic resection of early esophageal cancer.