Intraepithelial carcinoma of the oesophagus: report of 25 cases from North‐East Italy

Objective: To investigate the incidence and define the diagnostic aspects of intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus and to show the trend in its natural history.Design: Analysis of records of more than 31000 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies in a secondary referral centre.Setting: Gastroenterology unit, Italy.Subjects: 23 men and 2 women with endoscopic and histological diagnoses of intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.Results: The incidence was 0.8/1000 patients/year. There was a coexisting oropharyngeal or laryngeal cancer in 17 patients. The endoscopic appearance was of a more or less well-defined hyperaemic area. Lesions progressed to infiltrating carcinoma in a mean of 18.3 months range 11-32).Conclusions: Intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma is rare in this population. Endoscopy and histology are essential for diagnosis and staging.