[Early cancer of the esophagus]

The early esophageal carcinoma is rarely described as compared to the early carcinoma of the stomach; most esophageal carcinomas are diagnosed in advanced stages. We report about a 50 years old patient, who suffered from remittent gastrointestinal bleeding during anticoagulant therapy. Endoscopic examination revealed a small epithelial esophageal lesion (type I according to the classification of Monnier et al.) with positive cytology and histology of carcinoma. The pathologic study of the resected specimen showed early esophageal carcinoma. Additionally a review of the published cases is given and the findings are discussed in the light of etiological and epidemiological factors.