Malignant extrarenal rhabdoid tumour (MERT) with liver metastases as a rare cause of an esophageal tumor in a 57 years old patient

Tumors with a rhabdoid phenotype are aggressive neoplasms with a dismal prognosis. Malignant extrarenal rhabdoid tumor (MERT) of the esophagus is an extremely rare disease with so far only 6 cases reported. We report on a 57-year-old male patient with rhabdoid tumor situated in the esophagus with metastases to the liver and local lymph nodes. Assuming an undifferentiated esophageal adenocarcinoma a palliative chemotherapy with 5-FU/folinic acid, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) was initiated which was changed towards a combination of doxorubicin and ifosphamide as immunohistochemistry of the primary and the liver metastases revealed a rhabdoid tumor. This treatment with doxorubicin and ifosphamide resulted in a short clinical and radiological response which lasted only for 2 months. Due to the bad general condition at the time of progression no further chemotherapy was initiated. The patient died due to tumor progression 6 months after initial diagnosis which is consistent with other reports on malignant extrarenal rhabdoid tumors (median survival of metastatic disease less than 6 months). Thus, metastatic MERT represents a disease with a poor prognosis and no established standard therapy.