Case report: A case of rectal metastatic squamous cell carcinoma from the esophagus

Esophageal cancer is prone to distant metastasis, and the prognosis is very poor; the occurrence of intestinal metastasis is extremely rare, with atypical clinical manifestations. We report a case of rectal metastasis after surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was a 63-year-old male who was admitted to the hospital due to progressive dysphagia. He was diagnosed with moderately differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after the surgery. He was not treated with chemoradiotherapy after surgery and had recurrent blood in his stool at 9 months post-surgery; rectal metastasis of esophageal squamous carcinoma was diagnosed based on postoperative pathology. Because the patient had a positive rectal margin, we used adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and carrelizumab immunotherapy, achieving very good short-term efficacy. The patient is currently in a state of tumor-free survival and is still being closely followed up and treated. Through this case report, we hope to deepen understanding of rare metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and actively promote local radiotherapy plus chemotherapy and immunotherapy to improve survival.

Automated summary

Esophageal cancer can metastasize to distant sites, leading to poor prognosis. Intestinal metastasis is extremely rare with atypical clinical presentations. We present a case of rectal metastasis after surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The patient achieved good short-term efficacy with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and carrelizumab immunotherapy, and is currently in tumor-free survival. This case report aims to deepen our understanding of rare metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and promote the use of local radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to improve survival.