Surgery for limited-stage primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus: is it feasible and for whom is it indicated?

Small cell carcinoma is a highly malignant cancer that most commonly arises in the lung. Small cell carcinoma arising from outside the lungs was first described by Duguid and Kennedy in 1930 and is referred to as extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma (EPSCC) (1). EPSCC is a rare neoplasm, accounting for 2% to 5% of all small cell carcinomas and 0.1% to 0.4% of all cancers, and it has been seen in nearly every organ system (2). EPSCC most commonly arises from the gastrointestinal tract, and primary small cell gastrointestinal carcinoma accounts for 0.1% to 1.0% of gastrointestinal cancers. Most primary small cell gastrointestinal carcinomas are derived from the esophagus